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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27749638">Ideal: An Advent Fic</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/asphodelknox/pseuds/asphodelknox'>asphodelknox</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>One Direction (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Liam and Louis are producers, M/M, White Christmas AU, basically a hallmark movie, the shortest fake relationship ever, without the prejudice and homophobia</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 20:34:14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>40,045</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27749638</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/asphodelknox/pseuds/asphodelknox</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>All Louis wanted was some god-damned time to write his novel. He didn’t expect to move his and Liam’s entire production of a Christmas variety show to a small inn in Vermont just before the holidays. He didn’t expect to save Niall’s inn. He didn’t expect Liam to fall in love. He definitely didn’t expect to fall in love himself. And he certainly didn’t expect it all to feel so much like a Christmas movie.</p><p>Oh hell. There’s a lot of things Louis didn’t expect. </p><p>A White Christmas au, complete with drama, fluff, choreographed dance numbers, and idiotic boys falling in love. Just your typical Christmas fun.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan/Shawn Mendes, Zayn Malik/Liam Payne</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>480</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>192</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This story has been three years in the making simply because I absolutely needed to do this story justice. White Christmas is my favorite Christmas movie and has been forever, so writing this au was a soul-project and such a fun distraction from the craziness that has been the USA this year. I hope this fic gives you a hug of Christmas cheer and warms your heart. It made me smile writing it, so I hope you smile reading it. </p><p>Also, a massive, massive thanks to Brit and indy for helping me with this project and being the most amazing betas in the world. :)</p><p>And! Because this is Day 1, let me know in the comments what your favorite Christmas movie is! Happy December!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>August 2011</p><p>Columbia River Gorge, Oregon</p><p>Louis coughed, the smoke starting to infiltrate his face mask, but he kept his gaze on Liam’s back. The haze around them, the orange glow from burning trees, the shouts from behind him, forced Louis to ignore the cough from his screaming lungs. Niall had said they had to get in, get out, and get home and Louis had no plans for any sort of pit stop.</p><p>“Damn forest fires,” Louis muttered to himself. He took a few steps forward, pulling the hose to allow Liam more space as he aimed the spray at the bases of several trees. </p><p>They’d been fighting this particular fire for almost three hours, another remnant of a dry summer and an idiot with fireworks. It wasn’t exactly what he and Liam had signed up for when they volunteered as firemen for summer work experience. Fires were rare in the Gorge’s forests and they had mostly worked on housefires and rescuing cats from trees (a cliche, but an apt one). Their captain, Niall had almost called their team off, but the higher-ups asked them to push on as much as they were able. </p><p>It seemed now, however, that perhaps they’d reached their limit. Just ahead of them, a burst of trees flew into the air, and a great wave of heat hit the group, Louis gasping for breath from it,  even in his protective gear. He could hear Niall’s voice behind him, yelling at them to fall back and abandon the fire. </p><p>Liam didn’t seem to hear. He took one step forward, then another, and even if Louis hadn’t been distracted, he wouldn’t have been surprised by the determined look on Liam’s face. Liam always did have a stubborn streak, not that he’d admit it. Louis waited a moment to see if Liam would hear Niall’s second shout. </p><p>Instead, as if in slow motion, Louis saw a tree just to Liam’s left. It swayed away from them, then with a great snap, began to fall towards them, buoyed by the blazing wind, directly at Liam. </p><p>Louis shouted, jumped forward, and wrapped his arms around Liam’s middle, heaving him backward and away from it, Liam kicking at Louis to let him down, unseeing of the burning tree headed right at them. With another shove and a hard kick to the shin from Liam, Louis threw Liam ahead of him, away from the tree, stumbling to the ground as Liam left his arms. The tree landed just behind them, sparks flying into the sky, and cutting off the hose’s steady stream of water. Louis saw Liam was unharmed, confused at first by the horrified look on Liam’s face at Louis’s leg. Glancing down at his leg, Louis already knew what he’d see.</p><p>He was on fire. The orange flames wove their way through his suit and within seconds, Louis could feel the heat touching his skin. He rolled, trying to put the fire out, trying not to panic as indescribable pain licked at his calves.</p><p>Liam shouted and crawled over, slapping out the fire on Louis’s suit. Between the two of them, the fire was extinguished. Louis’s eyes rolled to the back of his head, the excruciating pain making his head pound. He took shallow breaths through his teeth, trying to stay awake and present. Liam shook his shoulders, hollering at Louis to look at him. </p><p>He felt his eyes closing, so tempted by the darkness. Liam shouted again and Louis opened his eyes once more with a valiant effort. </p><p>“Stay with me, Lou,” Liam shouted, and Louis felt thundering footsteps coming to them. He fought with every breath he had to keep his eyes open. Within seconds Liam and another fireman were lifting him up, helping him stand, and the three of them staggered away from the trees. </p><p>Their suits were supposed to be fireproof, but as Niall had complained about on numerous occasions, they were given “ancient shit that probably won’t protect you that well”. Louis hadn’t expected to discover just how shit the suits were. He stumbled, breathing hard, and fell to his knees. He blew out a breath through his teeth, feeling multiple hands on his arms before everything around him went black. </p><p>___</p><p>Louis woke to the sound of beeping. He didn’t open his eyes right away, opting to listen instead. The dark was soothing, calming. The beeping was annoying. He couldn’t pick out any other sounds at all, aside from some soft murmurs that felt far away.</p><p>It took only another moment for Louis to realize that the beeping was the heart monitor attached to his chest, echoing the steady beats of his heart. He wiggled his fingers and toes, relieved he could move them, though he felt ridiculously sore. His whole body ached and he felt like he’d run a marathon, hiked a mountain, and maybe lost a lung. He took in as deep a breath as he could and opened his eyes. </p><p>Liam sat by the hospital bed, elbows resting on his knees, hands clasped tight together. He looked like he hadn’t slept in a week, dark circles under his eyes and his whole frame seeming much less solid than Louis was used to. Louis had never seen Liam look so worn down. Liam met Louis’s eyes and his head dropped, forcing out a heavy sigh.</p><p>“Thank god,” Liam muttered.  </p><p>“What happened, Li?” Louis asked, his voice sounding strange to his ears. The last thing he’d heard was the loud burning of a forest. That must be why his voice sounded so strained.</p><p>Liam chuckled ruefully. </p><p>“You saved my life and scared the shit out of me, Louis Tomlinson,” Liam said with a relieved grin. “And you caught on fire. You suffered pretty bad burns. You’ll be fine. But you’ll have a sore ass for a while.” </p><p>Louis rolled his eyes and grimaced. Skin grafts. Of course.</p><p>“Is everyone else alright?” Louis asked, carefully moving his wrists and hating the feeling of the IV in the back of his hand. He could vaguely remember someone else helping Liam, but he couldn’t recall who. So much for trying to save someone. He looked at Liam, worried, and hopeful at the same time.</p><p>Liam nodded. “Niall and I pulled you out and the rest of the crew is fine. Your mum is getting lunch and should be back in a few minutes.” He paused, rubbing his face with his hand and sighing heavily. “What a way to end the summer, huh?” </p><p>Louis chuckled, feeling sore all over and hardly feeling anything on his leg. He wiggled his toes and let out a sigh. He was fine, but he was craving a hug from his mum. He hated hospitals. Already he was itching to go. </p><p>“I’ll be glad to get back to our music classes,” Louis said, craving the shitty bed in his apartment for the first time ever. It would be loads better than the hospital bed. “I wonder if we could write a musical about fire,” he mused, his mind going to their senior project. Not that it was surprising, since the two musical theatre and cinematography double majors really wanted to wow their professors.</p><p>“We’ll call it Fireproof,” Liam agreed with a smirk. “That’s as good a start as any, right?” Bless Liam, always just going along with Louis’s ideas. </p><p>“It’ll make us famous,” Louis teased. “We can put it in all the film festivals.” He waved his hands around, only to wince at how sore his shoulders were. Hadn’t he been sleeping for days? Why was he still sore? </p><p>“I don’t know if I could handle the stress of working on another musical with you,” Liam joked, standing to help Louis adjust his pillows. </p><p>“I saved your life, Li,” Louis said with a snarky grin, settling back into the pillows. “You have to do whatever I want now.”</p><p>Liam laughed and passed Louis a cup of Jell-O, which Louis took gladly, all the possibilities he could achieve in his senior year dancing in front of him. </p><p>___</p><p>
  <b>Tomlinson and Payne’s <em>Fireproof</em>: The Little Engine That Could</b>
</p><p>By Lolita Johnson</p><p>I visit Louis Tomlinson and Liam Payne at their tiny apartment in New York City on a rainy Tuesday in October. They welcome me into the space, littered with photos from their time at university in Los Angeles, and books all along the walls. Liam answers the door and jokes easily with me. </p><p>“You’d never guess our musical won a Tony,” he says, gesturing at their small apartment and leading me to the kitchen where Louis greets me. And while their apartment may not be the place you’d assume two of the most promising writers in musical theatre to live, Louis urges me that they’re not looking for something new.</p><p>“We want to keep a level head about this whole thing,” he says, gesturing enthusiastically with his hands. “No reason to start buying apartments we can’t afford. We’re inspired by the things that keep us grounded.”</p><p>We spend the hour talking about their smash hit and award-winning musical <em>Fireproof</em>, their fast-track to Broadway, their studies, and what new projects they have in store…</p><p>___</p><p>
  <b>Tomlinson and Payne’s Newest Project Takes Broadway By Storm: Get Your Tickets Now for Little Black Dress, what Variety Calls the Sexiest Sex-Farce You’ll Ever See</b>
</p><p>___</p><p>
  <b>Tomlinson and Payne Break From Broadway and Go For the Silver Screen with New Mini-Series Hey Angel</b>
</p><p>___</p><p><b>Louis Tomlinson </b>@louistomlinson</p><p>Can’t believe the support at the Emmy’s tonight for Hey Angel. @liampayne and I wouldn’t be here without you. Love you all !!</p><p>9/17/2016</p><p>___</p><p>
  <b>Buzzfeed Daily</b>
</p><p>
  <b>The Top Ten Movies, Musicals, and Shows Louis Tomlinson and Liam Payne Accredit With Inspiring Their Success </b>
</p><p>___</p><p><b>Entertainment Weekly </b>@ewmagazine</p><p>@louistomlinson and @liampayne go to the movies with their first Academy Award nominated drama, Infinity, beloved by critics and fans alike. Don’t miss a chance to see this gem in theatres before the Oscars!</p><p>1/24/2018</p><p>___</p><p>
  <b>Seven Years, Seven Shows, and Seven Songs: Louis Tomlinson and Liam Payne’s Rise to Cult and Critical Acclaim</b>
</p><p>By Lolita Johnson</p><p>Not much has changed since I first met Louis Tomlinson and Liam Payne. They don’t live in the same, tiny apartment they did when <em>Fireproof</em> was released seven years ago, but they’re still the same humble, funny, and kind men we’ve all come to love. I sat down with them to talk about their success, their inspirations, and the things that keep them up at night.</p><p>Lolita Johnson: You are two of the most prolific and talented producers and writers of your generation, some would say of modern entertainment. What’s it like bearing that weight?</p><p>Liam Payne: We don’t see it as a weight, to be honest. If anything we’re just constantly looking for the next project, the next story to tell.</p><p>Louis Tomlinson: No matter what we do, we just want to tell the truest stories we can. I think that resonates with people, which is probably why our shows and movies are so popular.</p><p>LJ: It still is incredible to have a Tony and an Emmy under your belt, along with a nomination for an Academy Award. What’s next for you two?</p><p>LT: Right now, we’re producing a YouTube show. All we can tell you is that it’s called <em>Home With You</em> and we’re pretty excited. </p><p>LP: We’re excited to play around a bit more, do stuff in real-time. Explore a new way of telling a story that’s really different from what we’ve done before.</p><p>LT: But that’s what we always try to do… tell stories in new and creative ways that serve the story. That’s been our true north through our whole careers.</p><p>LJ: What inspires you? Where do you get your ideas?</p><p>LT: From our lives, the people we meet, the stories they tell us. We try and stay open to inspiration wherever we go. </p><p>LP: We’ve found that usually, the best stories find us. </p><p>Liam and Louis bid me goodbye with smiles and a bouquet of flowers. Keep an eye out for more information on their new action film, <em>Loaded Gun</em>, coming Fall 2019, and follow them on Youtube for <em>Home With You</em>.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Don't forget to comment and tell me your favorite Christmas movie! Day 2 coming tomorrow... Louis has many many feelings.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Day 2! The plot gets going. Let me know in the comments what your favorite Liam and Louis song is your favorite! Mine is What a Feeling off of MITAM. :)</p><p>I had so much fun writing these two. This White Christmas story became an au because I couldn't stop thinking about how Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye aka our dear Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson were the best producer duo ever.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>If Louis didn’t know any better, he’d say Liam was avoiding something. </p><p>All the signs were there: the intense focus whenever someone asked him a question, the blinders on his eyes whenever someone even mentioned him taking a vacation, the constant stream of new ideas and potential films filling up Louis’s inbox faster than he could reply or process any of them. Louis couldn’t remember that last time he’d actually sat down for his morning cup of tea.</p><p>But Louis did know better. This wasn’t Liam avoiding something.</p><p>This was Liam just before a stress overload. </p><p>It had happened only once before, just after they’d been nominated for an Emmy for <em>Hey Angel</em> and Louis had tried his damn hardest to never let it happen again. He wasn’t keen on seeing the blank look in Liam’s eyes after an hour of uncontrollable sobbing and shaking. He wasn’t keen on having to force his work partner to take a break and see his mum and call someone who <em> wasn’t </em> Louis and who <em> wouldn’t </em> talk to him about their next project. </p><p>But here they were in Charleston, a week before Christmas, finishing their action movie, Loaded Gun. Louis was tired. He had a book he wanted to write and the idea hadn’t left him alone for six weeks. He’d wanted a break and Christmas was the perfect time to do it. After all, Liam hadn’t seen his family for anything more than a quick dinner in years – it would really do him good.  </p><p>Louis left his trailer and crossed the lot to Liam’s. The rest of the crew was packing up the sets, the costumes, the makeup trailer. The actors had left three days earlier, and Louis had never felt more proud of a movie before. Which was saying something, considering their track record. Two Tonys, two Emmys, and an Oscar nom weren’t something to shake a stick at. </p><p>The door to Liam’s trailer was open, despite the frost on the ground, and Louis knocked before walking in. There was some indie artist playing in the background and Liam was humming along to himself as he carefully packed up his things and absently waved at Louis. Louis plopped himself onto the couch. </p><p>“You know, Christmas is coming up,” he said without preamble. “Have any plans yet?” </p><p>Liam bopped his head along to the music for a few counts before responding. “I figure I’ll spend it in New York since we have to be there for Christmas Eve anyway.” </p><p>“That’s almost two weeks away, Liam,” Louis said. “You could easily go home.” </p><p>By home, Louis meant Seattle. It had been three years since either of them had gone back to see family, although Louis’s family had come to visit them in New York two years prior. </p><p>“Are you going home?” Liam asked, throwing one final shirt into his bag. He slung it over his shoulder, turned off the music, and Louis stood. As they left the trailer, they passed Jade in the lot and she handed Louis two train vouchers. Ah, sleeper cars. The best way to travel. He absently put them in his pocket. </p><p>“I was thinking about flying home on Christmas Day,” Louis said, opening his trailer door. He hadn’t packed, had put it off till the last possible minute. Liam leaned against the kitchenette counter while Louis began haphazardly grabbing his belongings and stuffing them in his duffle. </p><p>“It would be good for us,” Louis continued, pretending to carefully fold shirts into his bag, “to take a break.” His laptop got shoved in between pairs of socks and an old Pink Floyd shirt he carried around for good luck. His notebook practically cried out to him as he packed it in one of the pockets. He just wanted to write, damn it. </p><p>“Lou, we just finished a film!” Liam looked at him incredulously. “We’ve got post-production to work on, plus <em>Home With You</em> for YouTube, the next television show, and <em>Little Black Dress</em> going on tour. We can’t take a break yet.” </p><p>Louis huffed and paused his packing, looking Liam right in the eyes. “And when <em> will </em> we take a break?” </p><p>Liam shrugged. “I dunno, in a few months.” He didn’t meet Louis’s eyes, even though Louis was sure Liam should have died with the daggers he was sending his way.</p><p>“A few months?” Louis scoffed. “Liam, we’ve worked through holidays, birthdays, graduations, and weddings for the past three years. We haven’t taken a break at all.” </p><p>“Well, it’s not like we’ve really had time,” Liam said. “It’s not our fault we skyrocketed to fame when we weren’t expecting it.”</p><p>“Oh, is that why we can’t take a break?” Louis teased with a side of resignation. “We’re too famous? All I’m saying is that rest would really do us some good. Get us out of town, see new people. Maybe sit in a coffee shop with someone who doesn’t know we’re famous.”</p><p>“Wait a minute,” Liam said, shaking his finger at Louis. “Is this about all those dates?”</p><p>“What dates?” Louis asked, feigning ignorance but knowing exactly where Liam was going. Drastic times called for drastic measures and all that. He just hadn’t wanted Liam to catch on so quickly.</p><p>“For the past six months you've been throwing people at me like being bi is going out of style,” Liam said, crossing his arms. Louis was surprised <em>he </em> didn’t die from the daggers Liam was returning, now. </p><p>“I’ve only set you up with people I think you'd like!” Louis defended, flailing his hands around. It was true, he wouldn’t just throw people at Liam. He just met a lot of people who would really like Liam. If only Liam gave any of them a chance. </p><p>“Yeah, the bartender who was high and the crazy conservative lady who wanted to reform me were matches made in heaven,” Liam said pointedly. </p><p>“Well<em> some </em>of them were good,” Louis muttered. So not all of them were winners. Sue him.</p><p>“Yeah, real nuclear scientists they were,” Liam teased derisively. “I wanted to fall into bed with every single one of them.” </p><p>“Okay, so none of them are curing cancer,” Louis amended. “That doesn't necessarily make a good partner. It might be hypocritical of me to say, but work shouldn’t define someone’s value.”</p><p>“Why're you so set on getting me set up with a good partner, anyways?” Liam asked. He was giving Louis the Look: puppy dog eyes that begged the question be answered, but with a frown so hard it could cut glass.</p><p>“I’m worried about your happiness!” Louis said, zipping his duffle bag closed and ignoring the calculating look on Liam’s face as all became clear. Damn, why did he go into business with his best friend? They didn’t teach you <em> that </em> at business school. Not that he’d gone to business school but that was beside the point.</p><p>“Whenever you worry about my happiness, there’s always a little angle in there for you,” Liam said. “What do you want?”</p><p>Louis sighed dramatically and fiddled with the zipper pull of his bag. He glanced over at Liam and huffed. Maybe the dates <em> were </em> shit. But he had good motives. He just wanted to write. And not see Liam lose his mind.</p><p>“I just want time, alright?” Louis said. “Ever since we got into movies, you've gone crazy with work. I haven’t had a minute to call my own. If you had a partner, we wouldn’t be spending all our time making movies or shows or whatever. You’d have someone to go home to. You’d actually have to <em> go </em> home.”</p><p>“It was your idea to go into movies,” Liam pointed out unhelpfully.</p><p>“I didn't expect to become Doctor Frankenstein!”</p><p>“Good reference.”</p><p>“I didn’t spend four years studying English as a minor for nothing,” Louis bantered. He sighed again and rubbed his forehead. “I just think it would make you happier, having a person to be with.”</p><p>Liam wasn’t buying it. “And…?”</p><p>Louis shook his head. Liam never let him off the hook. That was probably a good thing. </p><p>“I want to write my book,” Louis said finally. “I want you to get married and have or adopt a bunch of babies. I want you to spend an hour a day with your partner and kids. That’ll give me time to myself to write this book that’s been poking at me for ages. Have a cup of tea sitting down. Take a bath, adopt a dog, I don’t know!”</p><p>Louis sighed. He didn’t mean to raise his voice. Apparently, he was more tired than he thought.</p><p>Liam looked down at his feet dejectedly. “I’m sorry Lou,” he mumbled. “The people you’ve been throwing my way aren’t exactly the type I’d settle down with,” he said quietly. “Besides, most people off the street are assholes anyway. There doesn’t seem to be much a point.” </p><p>“There’ll be other people,” Louis said. “You and Danielle just weren’t fit for each other.” </p><p>Liam winced at the mention of his ex-girlfriend. “Yeah, well. Maybe.” </p><p>They were quiet for a moment, and Louis slung his jacket over his shoulders. Liam was staring down at his shoes as if they held all the answers to all the questions in the Universe. If only. Louis sighed and changed the topic. </p><p>“So what’s this duo we’re seeing tonight?” Louis asked. Liam glanced up at him and grinned gratefully. Liam <em> was </em> still his best friend after all.</p><p>“Do you remember Gemma Styles?” </p><p>“Do I?” Louis cringed. “She and I got into a very heated debate about Jane Eyre in a lit class and she never let me live it down. She’s a firecracker.”</p><p>Liam chuckled. “Her younger brother apparently does duets with a friend of his. Traveling around the country doing covers, that sort of thing. She wrote us a letter asking if I’d check them out and give them a few pointers.”</p><p>“Do people realize you were joking in that Late Late Show interview about starting a record label?” Louis said good-naturedly. </p><p>“Apparently not,” Liam said. “Maybe they’ll be our first group.” </p><p>Louis laughed goodnaturedly. “I guess we’ll see.” </p><p>The two left Louis’s trailer and climbed into the waiting car. Louis rubbed his hands together. Maybe after a few drinks, he could bring up the idea of a break with Liam again. Sans the desperate dates.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Let me know your favorite Liam and Louis co-written song in the comments! Tomorrow we see what Zayn and Harry are up to.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Happy Day 3! Is anyone else having a hard time with the fact that it's DECEMBER? Just me? Welp. </p><p>Let me know in the comments what your favorite live show was! I never got to see the boys live but I did get to see Niall and he was by far my favorite live show I've ever been to.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The knock on the door shook Zayn out of his thoughts. He’d been staring off into space again, ignoring Harry’s slightly worried stare. Harry walked over and opened it letting the pub’s manager walk into the dressing room. Zayn gave himself a shake, focusing on the here and now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ll never guess who’s in the audience to see you perform,” Perrie said, her eyes lighting up, a smirk playing on her lips. They had played for Perrie several times and if anyone knew who was who in the biz, it was Perrie. If she was excited, it meant good things.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who?” Harry asked, Perrie’s excitement contagious enough to get Harry wiggling in anticipation. Honestly, he was like a puppy sometimes. Zayn grinned good-naturedly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson!” she sang. “Liam got a letter from your sister, Harry, asking if they would come to see you guys. Apparently, they went to college together or something?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zayn’s eyes widened and Harry laughed out loud. Perrie smiled between them, bemused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, Gemma and Liam and Louis were in the theatre program together,” Harry said with an easy grin. “Thanks for letting us know.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure thing!” Perrie said cheerfully. “You’re on in fifteen minutes, alright?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They nodded and she left, closing the door behind her. Harry spun on his heels to face Zayn, his face the picture of excitement. Zayn was immediately suspicious. He knew Harry too well. Something was definitely up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can you believe it, Zayn?” he said, clearly giddy with nervous energy. “Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson, here to see us. You and me!” He jumped on his tippy-toes a bit. “I gotta text Gemma. She’ll be so excited for us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zayn hummed. “Yeah, amazing.” He observed Harry carefully, his usually slow and smooth movements turned staccato. “I wonder what gave Gemma the idea. Did you ask her to talk to them?” He stood and stretched, opening and closing his hands quickly to warm up his wrists. Harry should really know better. They’d known each other since they were in diapers. He couldn’t fool Zayn. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry paused and shrugged. “No idea. I didn’t ask her, anyway.” He went back to his phone, typing away. Zayn didn’t need to be a rocket scientist to know Harry was faking it. Harry was probably pretending to type. Or checking out Louis Tomlinson and Liam Payne’s Instagram feeds.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zayn smirked and looked at Harry appraisingly. “Is that because </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> wrote the letter?” </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Bingo</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry turned and gaped at him, and Zayn held back a laugh. Harry was a bit dramatic when he was lying. Zayn stared back, daring Harry not to blink. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry blinked and rolled his eyes in defeat. “Fine, yes, I wrote the letter.” Zayn held back a chuckle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry shrugged. “Aren’t you tired of Cowell constantly breathing down our necks? Don’t you want to actually make music we like?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zayn sighed. “Yes. And yes. But you should have talked with me first. We didn’t plan anything special. We’re just doing our usual covers tonight. We could have planned something original or tried writing something ourselves.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We haven’t written anything of our own in three years, Zayn,” Harry pointed out. “Which is the reason I wrote to them in the first place.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zayn hated that Harry was right. They’d signed a contract with Simon Cowell, who assured them that they’d make it big doing covers. Instead, it felt a bit like they’d joined a circus where the ringmaster was evil, they fought lions every night, and the acrobats took up permanent residence in Zayn’s stomach.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cowell had promised them a million things and hadn’t delivered on any of them. Their contract was up on New Years and Harry and Zayn had been avoiding Cowell like the plague. They hadn’t answered their phones or emails, and they’d ignored every person on Cowell’s team who tried to talk to them. They’d even snuck out of their hotel three nights earlier in an effort to evade him. They didn’t want to sign another contract. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zayn rubbed his face. “Well, they’re here anyway. We’ll do our best.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry rested his hand on Zayn’s shoulder. “This could be really good for us, Zayn. At the very least they might know someone who could get us out from under Cowell.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zayn nodded. It had been a hard year for them both. Harry had suffered an awful breakup and Zayn had handled it worse than Harry. He’d felt responsible, like it was partially his fault that he didn’t see Harry’s ex cheating on him. Being creatively frustrated and not being able to write what they wanted didn’t help anything either. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zayn turned to face the mirror, running a hand through his hair, trying to place it just so on his forehead. Harry handed him a cup of coffee. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You look great,” Harry said teasingly. “He’ll be crazy about you.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zayn smirked. “Which one?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Does it matter?” Harry asked with a cocky grin. “They’re both famous.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zayn rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I highly doubt anything will happen with the two most famous producers of our generation. They’re probably not even looking to date right now. Didn’t they just wrap a movie?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So?” Harry asked, fluffing his hair so it laid lightly on his shoulders. “You gotta stop letting every single excuse get in your way of finding someone. Don’t pretend you don’t want a life partner just as much as I do. I know you too well.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Harry, you just…” Zayn started but Harry cut him off. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I broke up with George a year ago, Z,” Harry said. “I know you feel responsible but it’s not your fault or your responsibility at all. I want to move on. I want you to move on too.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So you’re setting me up with one of the greatest producers of our generation?” Zayn asked. “That’s a bit ambitious, isn’t it?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry threw up some jazz hands. “Aim for the moon, Z. Aim for the moon.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They shared a grin, grabbed their guitars, and left the dressing room, walking down the long hallway to the stage. The lights were already on them as they settled themselves on their stools, propping their guitars in their laps. Zayn scanned the crowd, looking for the faces of Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson. He didn’t see them, but just the idea of them in the crowd lit something in his heart. He shared a glance with Harry and as one, they strummed into their first song.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Let me know your favorite concert/live show in the comments! See you tomorrow!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Get ready for the meet-cute ya'll!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Louis swirled the whiskey in his glass as the duo came on stage. He remembered Gemma well, they’d actually been good friends in school. She and Liam had even dated for a few weeks, only to realize pretty quickly they were better off as friends. </p><p>However, Louis couldn’t remember Gemma mentioning a younger brother at all. </p><p>It was obvious which one he was too. Brunette, the same wide, kind eyes as his sister. He even had the same dimples that showed up when he smiled. The brochure said his name was Harry, Harry Styles. He was all long limbs and in a way, Louis was amazed Harry hadn’t tripped over his own feet. It was endearing in a sort of sexy way that had Louis blinking quickly and glancing over at the other man on stage.</p><p>Harry’s companion, Zayn Malik had that sort of <em> look </em> about him. He was tall, dark, handsome, but he smiled at Harry just as they started their set in a way that said there wasn’t anything mysterious about him. </p><p>Louis leaned over to Liam halfway through the fourth song.</p><p>“Do you think they do things aside from covers?” Louis whispered. </p><p>Liam shrugged, his eyes on the stage. “Gemma’s letter said they wanted to branch out on their own and that they’d been doing covers for a few years.”</p><p>“They certainly have the vocals to go far,” Louis murmured. He was impressed with the way Zayn and Harry could carry a tune and manipulate well-known songs to sound original. No wonder Gemma was proud of Harry.  </p><p>“How old do you think they are?” Liam asked. Louis couldn’t help but roll his eyes. Liam was terrible at guessing ages. </p><p>“Do the math, Li. Gemma is our age. Harry can’t be that much younger,” Louis said, watching the duo perform. They had a fire to them, soulful and playful at the same time, a duality of intensity and freeform that intrigued Louis like he hadn’t been in a long time.</p><p>Liam hummed and sipped his beer, his eyes trained on Harry and Zayn. Louis thought at first that Liam’s calculating-producer-face had shown up, but instead, Liam just looked curious. </p><p>Louis couldn’t blame him. Harry was adorable and Louis found he didn’t really want to look away. The man had dimples after all, and Louis was a sucker for dimples. He leaned over to Liam again. </p><p>“Harry’s pretty cute,” Louis whispered. </p><p>“Nah, Zayn’s the cute one,” Liam whispered back. </p><p>“Harry,” Louis said, giggling to himself at Harry’s enthusiasm while singing a run. </p><p>“Nope,” Liam said and the assurance in his voice caused Louis to jump. Liam hadn’t taken his eyes off Zayn the entire set. </p><p>Well, <em> that </em> was certainly interesting.</p><p>“Huh, yeah, Zayn is cute,” Louis amended, his mind whirring quickly. <em> How to set them up </em>...</p><p>Harry and Zayn ended their set with an enthused flourish and as they stood, Louis waved them down. He watched as they exchanged a look, Zayn looking almost chastising at Harry before they made their way over. Liam and Louis stood to greet them. </p><p>“Well done!” Louis said with a grin as Harry and Zayn approached. “It’s a pleasure to meet you both.” He shook hands with Zayn first, then Harry, gently tugging Harry into the chair next to him. Harry came willingly, an easy smirk on his face. Louis didn’t miss the way Harry looked him up and down, and he valiantly ignored that for the moment to put his focus on Liam and Zayn.</p><p>“It’s an honor to meet you both,” Zayn said. He held Liam’s gaze and Louis almost squealed. “We both watched <em>Hey Angel</em> obsessively.”</p><p>“Some of us more obsessively than others,” Harry said teasingly. Zayn swatted at him and the four sat down. Louis flagged down the waiter and Zayn and Harry ordered drinks.</p><p>“It was great to hear from Gemma,” Liam added. “I remember her mentioning she had a brother, but I don’t think she ever told either of us you performed.” </p><p>Harry shrugged. “We’ve just been doing covers for the past few years. Our contract is almost up and we’re looking to do something new.” </p><p>“What sort of new?” Louis asked, genuinely curious. If Harry and Zayn could write as well as they sang and played, they’d be golden. </p><p>Harry and Zayn exchanged a glance. “We’d like to write our own music. It’s not something we’ve ever had a chance to do with our current label,”  Harry replied.</p><p>Louis frowned. They’d heard of a few record labels like that when he and Liam had first discussed starting their own. It was a practice that boiled his blood, great musicians getting their creative independence taken away from them through ridiculous contract clauses, and unclear wording.</p><p>“Who are you with?” Liam asked. </p><p>“Simon Cowell,” Zayn said. </p><p>Liam winced. Louis physically shuddered. Harry chuckled. Zayn just groaned.</p><p>“Good thing your contract is up,” Louis said, the four of them commiserating. “Are you wanting to tour much?” </p><p>Harry nodded but Zayn shook his head. Harry rolled his eyes fondly. </p><p>“Zayn here wants to settle down somewhere and write music, for himself and for other people,” Harry said. “I love touring. I want to go everywhere.”</p><p>Louis glanced between Zayn, who was looking a bit embarrassed, and Liam who was looking appreciatively at Zayn.</p><p>“I respect that,” Liam said. “You don’t hear of people valuing a work-life balance in the entertainment industry.” </p><p>Louis scoffed. “Like you’re a golden example. I’ve been trying to get you to settle down for years.”</p><p>“Are you two together?” Harry asked, eyes wide as he glanced between Liam and Louis. </p><p>Louis laughed and Liam just grinned. </p><p>“Definitely not,” Louis said. “Liam can hardly put up with me as a business partner. We’d never survive a romance.” </p><p>“We’d both be accused of murder,” Liam agreed. “But settling down could be nice. It’s not like I’m opposed to it.” Louis rolled his eyes good-naturedly.</p><p>There was a beat of silence and then Louis changed the topic. </p><p>“Harry, want to come to the bar with me? We can get some food for the four of us.” </p><p>Harry nodded eagerly and the two of them stood. Louis followed Harry to the bar and they bellied up side by side. They examined the menu and bantered a bit about food before placing their order. </p><p>Louis appraised Harry. He was tall, his hair looked ridiculously smooth, and he carried himself with this sort of laidback ease that had Louis feeling immediately comfortable around him. It was hard to imagine how Cowell could have taken in Harry and Zayn… they both seemed too shrewd, despite Harry’s ease and Zayn’s openness.</p><p>Harry was appraising Louis right back. He smirked. </p><p>“So what the magazines say about your obsession with fries is true?” Harry asked in reference to the three different types of fries Louis had ordered off the menu. </p><p>Well, didn’t he know the direct line to Louis’s heart.  </p><p>Louis laughed. “One of the few things they get right.”</p><p>Harry chuckled. “Good to know. Do you share?” </p><p>Louis pretended to look thoughtful. “Only if I really like the person I’m sharing with.”</p><p>Harry propped his chin in his hand. “So what can I do to get in your good graces?” </p><p>He was obviously flirting, but without the ingenuine sleaze that Louis had grown used to from other men. Other men were mostly interested in Louis “One of the Greatest Producers of His Generation” Tomlinson, not Louis “Normal Guy From Seattle Who Liked Staying In Better Than Going Out” Tomlinson. Louis couldn’t help but smile at Harry. He bit his lip, unsure of how to respond. When was the last time he’d actually flirted and meant it? He decided to change topics entirely. </p><p>“I’m sorry you’ve had to work for Cowell,” Louis said. “He’s got an awful reputation in the industry. You and Zayn seem like good people.” </p><p>“Thanks,” Harry said, the flirtatiousness of a few moments prior slipping away. “We know that now, but several years ago, he’d promised us the world and we believed him. It turned out to be much too good to be true.”</p><p>“Most things are,” Louis said, propping his elbows on the bar counter. “But, it does help when you have sisters who know people.” He grinned at Harry, and Harry grinned back, his dimples making another appearance. Louis didn’t think he was <em> that </em> into dimpled men but… you could learn something new every day.</p><p>“It does,” Harry said. “It’s pretty cool actually. She’s the coolest person I know.” </p><p>Louis chuckled. “My sisters are some of my favorite people too.” </p><p>“You have a lot of them, right?” </p><p>“Five, plus a younger brother,” Louis said. “I don’t get to see them as much as I’d like, but they’re some of the most interesting people I know. You have just Gemma?”</p><p>Harry nodded. “She’s my biggest fan. She’s teaching high school English and theatre now, but still attends every show of mine she can.” </p><p>“Well, someone has to be president of the Harry Styles fan club,” Louis teased and he couldn’t help but feel a thrill at the way Harry’s cheeks tinted pink. “You’ll be a star, Harry. Get out from under Cowell and you’ll be just fine.”</p><p>Harry bit his lip and grinned bashfully at his feet. The music changed and several people got up to dance. Louis held out his hand, feeling a wave of impulsive desire to dance with a beautiful man with dimples who loved his sister so much. </p><p>“Would you care to dance, Harry?” Louis asked. Harry didn’t answer, just put his hand in Louis’s and followed him to the dance floor. </p><p>They danced through one song, then another, darting around one another, making each other laugh and Louis felt he hadn’t grinned this much in months. Harry had this way of moving to the music so fluidly that Louis couldn’t have been paid to look away from. Harry let his hands rest on Louis’s hips and Louis hardly wanted to admit how the feeling made his breath catch in his throat. </p><p>The tune slowed, a soft sort of sway, and wordlessly they stepped together. Harry’s thumbs rubbed circles in Louis’s hips, Louis’s arms came to rest on Harry’s arms, and Louis almost blushed. </p><p>“Do you usually dance with men whose sisters write you letters to come to see them perform?” Harry asked, catching his breath from their enthusiastic movement during the last song. </p><p>Louis shook his head. “We don’t know many musical acts personally… or their sisters.”</p><p>“Shame,” Harry said. “You’re a good dancer.” </p><p>Louis batted his eyelashes. “Haven’t you heard, Harry? The best things happen while you’re dancing. In college, I figured it was something I should master. I know how to swing too, and salsa.”</p><p>Harry’s eyebrows raised in what Louis sensed was an endeared way. “Oh you’re all fancy, aren’t you?” He teased and his grip on Louis tightened just a smidge. Louis swallowed, unable to fight the grin on his face. The song finished and they wandered back to the bar to wait but found their food waiting for them and gathered it up. . They might have been a bit too excited about the menu, having ordered at least half of it, but Louis didn’t care. This was shaping up to be a fun night. Harry made to go back to their table, but Louis stopped him with a hand on his forearm when something caught his eye. </p><p>“Harry,” Louis pointed to their table, “look.”</p><p>Harry followed Louis’ gaze. Back at their table, Liam and Zayn had somehow moved their chairs closer together, their heads bent towards each other, looking like they were in their own world. They were talking intently, seriously, and Louis couldn’t help but wonder when Liam had become the type to move so fast. </p><p>“Huh,” Harry said. “Well, that’s a nice development.”</p><p>“Want to be in-laws?” Louis said, absently taking a bite out of a fry. “God, can you imagine?”</p><p>“I don’t mind, if you don’t,” Harry said, stealing a piece. Louis let him and found he didn’t mind. “But we’re going out of town tomorrow.” </p><p>Louis whipped his head away from Liam and Zayn to look at Harry. </p><p>“What? Why? Don’t you see love blooming right before our very eyes, Harry?” He gestured with his free hand, careful not to spill the fries.</p><p>Harry chuckled. “We have this thing called a job.”</p><p>“Where?” Louis asked. Damn jobs. </p><p>“Vermont. We’re booked at this inn over Christmas. It’s supposed to be snowing buckets up there right now,” Harry said. “The owner wants us to entertain the ski crowd.”</p><p>Louis hummed, unable to take his eyes off Liam and Zayn. “I bet Vermont is beautiful this time of year.”</p><p>Harry hummed back. “Perfect place to take a break. All that snow.” </p><p>Louis almost dropped his fries and looked over at Harry. From the shit-eating grin on Harry’s face, Louis had a hunch they were hatching the same plan.</p><p>“I couldn’t have said it better myself,” Louis said with a gleeful smile.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>See you tomorrow for Day 5!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>And the plot begins to thicken...</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Zayn frowned as Harry led Louis away. He wasn’t sure what Harry was planning, but Louis seemed equally crafty and that didn’t bode well. Harry didn’t need any help in <em> that </em> particular department. </p><p>He turned back to Liam, who looked down at his drink with a shy smile. </p><p>“So touring isn’t for you, huh?” Liam asked, glancing up at Zayn while taking a sip of his drink. </p><p>Zayn shrugged. “I just like writing. Telling stories or conveying emotion. That’s why we started this in the first place. I wanted to write songs for people and tell the stories that they might have had a hard time telling.”</p><p>Liam nodded and Zayn got the impression Liam knew exactly what he was talking about. Maybe it was Liam’s kind eyes, the way he looked so honest and open, or the way his smile shyly overtook his whole face, but Zayn couldn’t help but find Liam ridiculously attractive. </p><p>“Lou and I wrote <em>Fireproof</em> because we worked as volunteer firemen during our summers off from school,” Liam said. “We had a pretty bad experience and Louis got burned. He was out of it for several days.”</p><p>“Sounds terrifying,” Zayn said. He never wanted to come within one hundred feet of an out-of-control fire. </p><p>Liam nodded. “It was. But <em>Fireproof</em> is why we are where we are. Maybe something in all those fires we fought that summer ignited our creativity and we’ve been fanning the flame ever since.”</p><p>“That’s very poetic,” Zayn said, trying not to sound utterly endeared. He was such a sucker for beautiful words. Spoken from the lips of a particularly handsome man certainly didn’t help. He felt a longing in his gut like he hadn’t in a while… a longing for a partner. In a different way than Harry was, anyway.</p><p>Liam chuckled. “Maybe. Lou’s the real wordsmith, I just make everything become a reality.”</p><p>Zayn smirked. “That’s how I feel about Harry. That sounds familiar. I’m the dreamer of our duo. He makes sure things actually happen.”</p><p>“He does have that get-shit-done attitude,” Liam said. </p><p>“How can you tell?” Zayn asked. </p><p>“I knew Gemma and she was very similar. I was excited to get her letter,” Liam said. “I hardly ever get real mail that isn’t a death threat, and she was so enthusiastic about you and Harry…” </p><p>Zayn held up his hand with a hesitant sigh. “I’m sorry, Liam. I have to be honest with you.” He fidgeted his chair closer to Liam’s. “Gemma didn’t write the letter. Harry did.” Zayn nodded in the direction of Harry and Louis, chatting and laughing at the bar. “He thought you wouldn’t come to see us if we asked you ourselves but figured you would if Gemma asked.” </p><p>Zayn’s heart pounded in his chest. He wanted a way out, a way to be rid of Cowell. He wanted to settle down in a city he loved, where he could blend into the streets and write whatever he wanted. Louis and Liam were his and Harry’s best shot. </p><p>But damn it, Zayn had always found he couldn’t be dishonest, with himself or anyone else. Some of his friends from home said it would get him into trouble, but Zayn simply didn’t know any other way to be.</p><p>“So we came here under false pretenses.” Liam said it as a statement, but his eyes twinkled. He shuffled in his chair, edging himself closer to Zayn. “I guess we all do crazy deeds for the things we love.” He took another sip of his drink. </p><p>“He didn’t mean anything by it,” Zayn hurried to add, scraping his chair against the floor. His knee brushed Liam’s. “He just wanted to give us a chance…”</p><p>“He was creative. I can’t fault him for that,” Liam interrupted, scooting his own chair closer to Zayn. They were so close now they could almost wrap their arms around each other if they wanted to, tucked into one another against the noise from the pub.</p><p>“Maybe, but you’re right, we did invite you here under false pretenses. That can’t be good for potential business.” </p><p>“He’s an artist, so I guess I can forgive him.”</p><p>Zayn blinked. “Just like that?” </p><p>Liam grinned. “Considering we’re practically strangers at this point, I don’t think we need to argue about it. It happened, it’s done, it got us here. Maybe that’s not so bad.” </p><p>Zayn wasn’t sure how to interpret that but someone behind Liam caught his eye and derailed his entire thought train. </p><p>“Shit,” he said. None other than Simon Cowell had just entered the pub. Zayn stood slowly. </p><p>“Is everything alright?” Liam asked, standing with Zayn, looking at him worriedly. </p><p>Zayn pulled his gaze from Simon onto Liam’s kind, concerned face. Why did Cowell have to ruin <em> everything </em>? He was actually having a real conversation with Liam fucking Payne!</p><p>“Not right now,” Zayn answered honestly. “It has nothing to do with you, I just need to get Harry and me out of here. It was nice to meet you, Liam.” He held out his hand and Liam shook it uncertainly. </p><p>“You too, Zayn,” Liam said. “If you’re ever in New York, look me up, alright? We can grab a drink.” </p><p>Zayn nodded and grinned quickly at Liam before abandoning the table, making his way to Harry and Louis grinning like idiots at each other. </p><p>“Harry, we gotta go,” Zayn said without preamble. He ignored how cozy Harry and Louis looked, and the way Harry was stealing fries from Louis’s plate without any reaction from Louis aside from what almost looked like fondness. </p><p>Harry frowned. “Why? What’s wrong?” </p><p>Zayn glanced between Harry and Louis. “Cowell is here.”</p><p>Harry almost dropped the platter of sliders he was holding. Louis’s eyes widened. </p><p>“Here? How?” Louis asked.</p><p>Zayn shrugged. “He’s been following us venue to venue for the past week, hunting us down to try and get us to renew our contract. We’ve blocked his number, his email...”</p><p>“We’re trying to run the contract out so he can’t hardnose us into signing again,” Harry said. “He cornered us into signing it last year.”</p><p>Louis looked between them calculatingly. “Look, you two are going to Vermont tomorrow right?” </p><p>Harry and Zayn looked at Louis blankly. </p><p>Louis pulled two ticket vouchers out of his pocket. “Take Liam’s and my train tickets. They’re vouchers for the last train out of town tonight. They should get you to Vermont and away from Cowell, at least for now. Let Liam and I handle him.”</p><p>“What?” Zayn asked. Was this guy for real?</p><p>Louis nodded and handed the vouchers to Harry. “Don’t worry about it. It was Liam’s idea actually. We like to take care of our friends.”</p><p>Zayn gaped at him. “We’re practically strangers!” Liam had even said so not five minutes ago.</p><p>Louis shrugged and glanced at Harry. “Well, we’d like to take care of that too.” </p><p>Zayn opened his mouth to further question him, but Harry cut him off. </p><p>“Thank you, Louis, that’s so generous of you.” Harry grabbed Zayn by the elbow. “Let’s go, Zayn.”</p><p>Harry pulled Zayn away as Louis dissolved into the crowd. Zayn didn’t miss the way Harry watched Louis go, even as he led Zayn back to their dressing room. </p><p>They gathered their things in a hurry, piling clothes into bags and shoving their feet into shoes. They slid back out into the hustle of the pub and out the front door. The last thing Zayn saw as they exited the pub was Simon talking with Liam and Louis, looking very put out indeed.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Snow, snow, snow, snow.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Two tickets to New York please,” Liam said to the woman at the ticket window. Louis’s stomach clenched and he felt his face go red. How was he going to tell Liam they didn’t have their vouchers? It was late, they were tired, and they didn’t have beds on the train.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Plus they’d had to talk to Cowell. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Ugh</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Louis hadn’t thought twice about giving the ticket vouchers to Harry and Zayn. He knew a desperate case when he saw one and wanted to help, especially since this particular desperate case had dimples that made Louis swoon and a partner from whom Liam hadn’t taken his eyes off of for over an hour.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But now, faced with the practical demerits of his decision, Louis’s eyes widened as he realized one very important detail: he and Liam didn’t have their seats on the train anymore. Those vouchers had been for one of the limited sleeping rooms on the train, with beds and a small sitting area. Liam </span>
  <em>
    <span>loved</span>
  </em>
  <span> sleeping on trains. It was one of the few things he said he enjoyed the most about being famous - always getting a room of his own on trains. Liam raved about how well he slept on trains for </span>
  <em>
    <span>weeks</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Louis had basically robbed Liam of his favorite thing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lou, grab the vouchers, will you?” Liam said, still clueless to Louis’s internal turmoil. Louis attempted to grin but was sure he grimaced instead. He started digging around his pockets, pretending to look for the vouchers, knowing full well he would come up empty. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I… can’t seem to find them, Li,” Louis said, trying to look as worried and apologetic as possible. It was easier than it should have been. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Liam frowned. “What do you mean? I saw Jade hand them to you as we were leaving our trailers. She’d gotten them special for us for the holidays, Lou.” Liam pulled his puppy-dog pout and Louis frantically attempted another ill-fated go at his pockets.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Louis shrugged helplessly. “Maybe they fell out while we were at the pub? I remember Jade handed them to me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Liam sighed heavily and turned back to the teller. “How much for two tickets to New York?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’ll be three hundred dollars and sixty-seven cents for two seats in the viewing car,” the teller said, appraising Louis and Liam with a bored resignation, probably carefully groomed after hours and hours of helping helpless, harried holiday travelers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The viewing car,” Liam said blankly and Louis tried not to dwell on the resigned sadness of Liam’s voice. “No beds available, I take it?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The hopefulness in his voice didn’t seem to stir the teller at all. She hardly looked at them, let alone responded to Liam Payne’s famous puppy-dog eyes. Louis was almost one-hundred percent positive he only went along with Liam’s ideas because of the puppy-dog eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The train’s sleeping rooms are full,” the teller said, clicking away at the computer screen. “We only have upright seats available.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Liam was silent for a moment, a chilling, dreadful silence, and Louis decided to take matters into his own hands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How much more is it to Vermont?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Liam’s head turned to Louis in surprise. “We’re not going to Vermont, we’re going to New York.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Li, Vermont would be beautiful this time of year! All that snow!” Louis said, trying to steer Liam’s too-sharp mind away from lost vouchers and towards holiday snow instead. “When was the last time you had a white Christmas?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Liam scoffed. “Last year, when we got snowed in in Boston.” He turned back to the teller, leaving Louis fish mouthing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was right. But they hadn’t even had a chance to have a Christmas dinner last year, so it hardly counted. Besides, Boston blizzards were </span>
  <em>
    <span>intense</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Especially for two guys from Seattle. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Two tickets to New York,” Liam said firmly to the teller. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But what about Vermont?” Louis asked quickly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The teller didn’t even look at them. “It’s still three hundred dollars and sixty-seven cents.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re not going to Vermont, Lou!” Liam said with a helpless wave of his hands. “What’s gotten into you? Do you have cash on you?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Louis looked blankly at Liam. “Uh...no.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Liam rolled his eyes and passed the teller the three hundred dollars and sixty-seven cents. They were handed tickets and Louis looked at his curiously. The ticket had a stop in New York with the final destination listed as Pine Tree, Vermont. Louis glanced back at the ticket teller. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was smirking after them, her chin on her hand. He caught her eye and she lifted a knowing eyebrow. Louis grinned and followed Liam onto the train. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know, this is ridiculous,” Liam was saying as they climbed the stairs into one of the cars. “It’s bad enough we lost the vouchers, it’s even worse the train is sold out of sleeping bunks. We’re going to be on this train overnight, Lou!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I’m really sorry about that, Li,” Louis said, unsure of how to say it would all be worth it if they made it to Vermont. “I swear I had them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe Louis wasn’t the greatest actor of his age, but he seemed to be doing okay. Liam was buying it anyway. At least that’s how it appeared. He caught sight of the car number and glanced at his ticket.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Li, we’re too far back,” Louis said. “We have to go forward a few cars.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Liam sighed and turned to follow Louis back through the cars. They passed another couple in the aisle, Louis running into one of the doors to one of the sleeper rooms. Louis grunted, and vaguely heard a grunt, a trip, and a hushed “Jesus, Haz,” before walking on, leading Liam to their seats.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Liam put their bags in the overhead compartment, surveying their fellow train travelers with a sigh before sitting down heavily next to Louis. The train’s upright seats weren’t full and the two seats across from Liam and Louis were empty. Small mercies.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is gonna be awful,” he said and Louis bit his lip, not sure when to come clean. He glanced at Liam after a few moments of quiet and was so startled he jumped. The </span>
  <em>
    <span>look</span>
  </em>
  <span> Liam was giving him wasn’t one Louis had ever seen on Liam’s face before.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lou,” Liam said and Louis immediately felt called out. Liam turned in his seat and poked Louis in the chest. Louis wondered if Liam felt Louis’s heart there, pounding a mile a minute. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lou, did you give our ticket vouchers to </span>
  <em>
    <span>Harry and Zayn</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Louis fish mouthed again. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He barely got the words out, and despite all the years he’d studied and worked with actors, he knew Liam didn’t buy it for a minute. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Liam stood and leaned over Louis, looking both amused and threatening. Louis had never known Liam-Teddy-Bear-Payne to be so terrifying. “I’m going down to the overnight rooms. I’m going to knock on every door and if I find Harry and Zayn there, I’m going to…” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But thankfully, Louis was spared from knowing just what Liam would do by the arrival of none other than Harry and Zayn. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Liam! Louis!” Harry came walking down the aisle. He threw his arms around Liam, hugging him exuberantly. Liam looked gobsmacked, barely hugging back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know how we can thank you enough for letting us use your vouchers,” Harry said, letting go of Liam and plopping into his seat with a happy sigh. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zayn held out his hand for Liam, who shook it slowly like he’d recently been reintroduced to the world. All recent threats of whatever Liam had wanted to do to Harry and Zayn were gone the moment they showed up in the flesh. Louis held back every snarky statement and outburst of laughter he could at the emotions sliding across Liam’s face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It really was kind of you,” Zayn said with a wider grin than Louis had seen on him yet. Louis thought he detected a bit of fondness towards Liam in Zayn’s smile. He certainly hoped so, anyway. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was so afraid of what we’d have to do to get rid of Cowell this time,” Zayn said, releasing Liam’s hand and shaking Louis’s. Louis grinned and gestured to the seat across from him. Liam turned, raised his eyebrows accusingly at Louis, and sat down next to Zayn, across from Harry. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well…” Liam started, and Louis held his breath, hoping that Liam’s ingrained politeness would win out, “we’re happy to do it. Cowell’s a real monster. I don’t mind pulling a fast one on him.” Liam smiled easily and Louis let out a heavy breath. Liam had always been the better actor between them anyway.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry spoke next, smiling at Louis in a way that caused Louis’s stomach to flip flop, momentarily distracting him from Liam’s wrath. “Louis said you’re going to New York for the holidays,” Harry said, clearly speaking to Liam, but mostly looking at Louis instead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Liam nodded. “Yeah, we’re filming a few videos and hosting something for Christmas. What about you two?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zayn grinned. “We actually got our own gig, no Cowell needed. At the Columbia Inn in Pine Tree, Vermont.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Liam’s eyes narrowed in on Louis, and Louis suddenly found the wood grain on the table between them very interesting. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sounds very Vermonty,” Liam said, pointedly staring at Louis while Louis pointedly ignored him. He looked to Harry instead who smirked at Louis before turning to Liam. Louis was sort of turned on by Harry’s snark. It’s like he </span>
  <em>
    <span>knew</span>
  </em>
  <span> Louis was in trouble with Liam. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Would you be able to come up for a few days?” Harry asked. “We’d love some advice… we’ll be performing some things we’ve actually written.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stuff Harry has written,” Zayn was quick to clarify with an easy grin. “It’d be great to get a real set  of eyes and ears….” Zayn had propped his hand on his chin and was smiling hesitantly at Liam. Louis swallowed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Vermont would be beautiful this time of year,” Liam said suddenly, echoing Louis’s earlier sentiment. “All that snow. The perfect place to take a break.” He sighed and looked at Louis resignedly. One look and Louis knew he was forgiven. Liam would never trust him with train vouchers again, but if this panned out the way Louis hoped, it might not even matter. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Besides, he was pretty proud of himself for managing to be mostly quiet through the entire conversation so far. He couldn’t hold himself in any longer though. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We did happen to get extensions on our tickets, Li,” Louis said. “Besides, who else is gonna look out for you but me? A break would be good.” Liam shook his head fondly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Zayn,” Liam said and Zayn nodded, “if you’re ever fighting forest fires and you’re in danger of being crushed by a falling tree and someone offers to save your life, don’t hesitate, don’t think twice, don’t question it, just… kick him in the shin and run away.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zayn looked affronted. “What is that supposed to mean?” he asked flabbergasted. Harry was looking between Liam and Louis like something was about to catch fire.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Liam sighed good-naturedly. “It means we’re going to Vermont.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you!” Louis cried, laughing lightly, as Zayn’s face broke into a grin and Harry clapped his hands in glee, while somehow running his toes up Louis’s shin in such a way that sent shivers up Louis’s spine. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It might not be that bad actually,” Liam said, grinning. He leaned back into his seat. “The fresh air, the new locale. We might get a new story idea, Lou.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lou scoffed. “Not that we need any of those. I’m most excited for snow.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry smiled longingly. “Snow,” he said softly, like uttering a magic word. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zayn chuckled once. “Snow.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Liam grinned at Louis and Louis realized he hadn’t seen that grin in a long time. It was relaxed, but there was also a brightness to it. Liam had a way of putting people at ease, but he wasn’t often at ease himself. This was the first time Louis had seen Liam like this in a year. He couldn’t help but feel a bit less bad about his methods. They were going to Vermont. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Liam sighed wistfully. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Snow.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Tell me your feelings about snow in the comments! I prefer snow when I'm inside by the fireplace with a cozy beverage with no need to go outside. :P</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>And here we introduce a new POV... be ready for a shitwack of fluff!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Love, have you seen my work gloves?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Niall’s voice called from inside the bedroom closet. Shawn finished putting his socks on and meandered over to the doorway of the closet, watching in amusement as his boyfriend dug through a drawer Shawn knew only held socks. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not since yesterday, when you threw them at the coffeemaker,” Shawn answered, chuckling to himself when Niall sighed dramatically and looked up from where he knelt on the floor. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wanted to work on the barn today,” Niall said by way of explanation, ignoring Shawn’s comment about the coffeemaker with the practiced ease of someone who knew how to pick his battles. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you working on?” Shawn asked. He wasn’t surprised Niall had a project, Shawn had just lost track of all the projects Niall kept in his head. Shawn was starting to believe Niall just created them out of thin air.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The doors all have squeaky hinges and they’re scaring Poppy,” Niall said, standing with a grunt. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s why we have Dasher isn’t it?” Shawn asked. One of their sled horses, Poppy, had awful anxiety, which was the entire reason they’d purchased Dasher, the goat, in the first place. Poppy got along with the other horses just fine, but Dasher soothed her anxiety when the other horses couldn’t. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Niall shook his head. “When I went into the barn yesterday, Poppy spooked and spilled her water.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn took a step towards Niall, clasping their hands together to stall Niall’s frantic gazing about the room. “Poppy knocks over her water several times a day, love. Are you just looking for projects to feel useful?” Shawn gazed down at Niall’s face, tracing the wrinkles around Niall’s eyes, privately noting the way his smile hadn’t fully met his eyes in several weeks, and the heavy bags under his usually bright eyes. Shawn lifted a hand and traced Niall’s cheekbone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Niall sighed into Shawn’s hand. “There’s not much else I can do, Shawnie.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn nodded and kissed Niall’s forehead. “I know, Ni.” Niall wrapped his arms around Shawn’s waist and they swayed in the silence for a moment. Shawn held on tight. He wanted to anchor Niall here, in the present, instead of letting Niall worry too much about the future. The future would come no matter what they did. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We have guests coming today though,” Shawn said, trying to perk Niall up. “Those who will be here for a week. Plus on Saturday we have that family coming from Georgia. They’ll take up like four rooms.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But we have twenty, Shawn, and most of them are empty,” Niall said into Shawn’s shoulder. “We have the lightest reservations schedule I’ve ever seen. If we don’t get snow, I don’t know how we’ll make it through next summer.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn nodded. “We’ll figure something out,” he said. “Go work on the barn. Take one of the horses out for a ride or something. Our guests today are coming in…” He paused and listened carefully. Was that the bell?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” Niall asked. Shawn gave Niall a final squeeze as the front desk bell rang again. He had a knack for knowing when their guests arrived. Niall used to say it was creepy. Now he paid as much attention as Shawn.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Our guests must have arrived early,” Shawn said, pulling on his shoes. “See, love? Our luck is changing.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Niall grinned softly. “I hope so.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn gave Niall a quick kiss on the lips before dashing out of the room and down the stairs. He emerged behind the front desk to four men standing in the lobby, each one looking more confused than the next. They were dressed in warm coats, hats, gloves, and scarves, too bundled up for the weather. They looked out of place and it almost made Shawn laugh out loud. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But guests were rare and Shawn wasn’t going to let them go due to bad customer service. He was aiming for five-star reviews from every single customer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Welcome to the Columbia Inn,” Shawn said, walking up to the desk. “How can I help you?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A brunette with long curly hair took a step forward and stuck out his hand. “I’m Harry Styles,” he said and gestured to his tall, dark companion. “This is Zayn Malik. We’re here to perform for you this week.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn grinned. He had been excited to hire this particular duo. He hoped they would bring in some new guests during dinner at the restaurant. “Ah, of course! Nice to meet you both. I’m Shawn, the caretaker here. The owner should be down any minute.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Perfect,” Harry said. “We’ve also brought friends if that’s alright. I don’t know if you have a spare room...” He gestured to the other two men, who smiled. “Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson.” The two men nodded their hellos and Shawn nodded back, sure he’d seen them somewhere before. Why did those names sound so familiar? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not a problem,” Shawn said. “I can offer you pretty much any room here.” He grabbed four room keys from the drawer while he tried to remember why Liam and Louis weren’t strangers to him. He typed new reservations into the computer while the four men sorted their luggage and shed their warm layers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is that due to the lack of snow?” Liam asked, zipping up a pocket on his bag. “We were wondering what you’d done with it all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, the sign at the train station called Vermont America’s Snow Playground,” Harry said. “We all just came up from the Carolinas. Feel’s the same.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn chuckled ruefully. “We take the snow in during the day.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He handed keys to all of them and spoke to Harry and Zayn. “Depending on how many guests we have this weekend, we might have to cut back on the number of shows you do here. I know it’s not what you signed up for, but we can still pay you in full.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry and Zayn shrugged, not looking too bothered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s just fine. We’re glad to perform,” Zayn said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn nodded and heard footsteps behind him. He turned and beckoned Niall forward. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Harry, Zayn, this is our owner…” Shawn began but was cut off by Liam’s voice. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Niall?” Liam asked in disbelief, a wide smile spreading onto his face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Niall Horan, you bastard,” Louis cried and suddenly there were two more people behind the desk, enthusiastically hugging Niall with shouts of joy. Niall let out the loudest, happiest laugh Shawn had heard from him in a month. Shawn glanced at Zayn and Harry, but they looked just as confused. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Louis and Liam let go of Niall, who was grinning wider than Shawn had seen him all week. Niall turned to Shawn, his eyes twinkling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Love,” Niall said breathlessly, “these fellas are Louis and Liam.” The way he said their names triggered Shawn’s memory. “From my firefighting days.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, that’s right!” Shawn said, shaking their hands again. “We have a picture of your group upstairs in our apartment.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is my boyfriend, Shawn.” Niall introduced Shawn by sliding an arm around his waist, smiling up at him proudly. “We own this place together.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Liam and Louis exchanged a grin and Louis smirked at Niall. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Niall, look at you, properly settled down,” Louis said. “Always knew you had it in you. You should teach Liam here a thing or two.” Liam shoved him in the shoulder and Niall laughed out loud.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hang on, you three fought fires together?” Harry interjected, leaning on the counter on one side of Louis. Louis leaned back and their elbows touched. Shawn noticed the gesture. Were they together too? He and Niall didn’t know many other gay couples in Pine Tree. That’d be refreshing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We did, several years ago,” Liam said to Harry. “Niall and I had to save Louis’s ass…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“After he saved yours, Liam, don’t lie,” Niall cut in cheekily. Shawn chuckled. He didn’t want to be rude but he couldn’t help looking down at Niall. He hadn’t seen his boyfriend smile like this in so long, he’d almost forgotten what it looked like.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, yeah, he never lets me forget it,” Liam said with a good-natured shrug. “How do you think we’ve done all the crazy stuff we’ve done?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I should have known you two had star power,” Niall said with a grin. He turned to Shawn. “These two could churn out an award-winning musical in their sleep when we were in college.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I loved Infinity,” Shawn said. “We saw it in the theatre, right Ni?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Niall nodded. “Don’t worry Shawnie, they’re way less cool than they seem in the magazines.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn chuckled, as Louis and Liam both disagreed vehemently. It was all good fun though and Zayn and Harry laughed along too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> “Niall, I can’t believe it’s you. Do you own this place? It’s great!” Liam asked, looking around. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn hadn’t thought of the inn from a customer’s perspective in a while, but Liam was right. It was great. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Especially at Christmas time. The inn was a picturesque colonial, with big windows and a bright front door. The lobby had a huge fireplace and cozy couches dotted with plush velvet pillows and lots of candles and of course, a too-large Christmas tree, covered in lights and ornaments. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Just off the lobby was the dining room and stage, where the restaurant was open for breakfast and dinner, and Shawn and Niall tried to arrange live entertainment each weekend to bring in customers. The restaurant was almost single-handedly keeping the inn running these days.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Niall nodded and shrugged. “Shawn and I do,” Niall said. “It’s a project we took on after my grandpa passed away.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Niall and I grew up together,” Shawn said, “and I got a job as a caretaker here when we were in high school.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I took it over when I came back from college,” Niall added, “and we just never left. I hope we never have to.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn gave him a squeeze and kissed Niall’s temple. Louis looked between them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are things not going well?” Louis asked with a concerned frown. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Niall shrugged again. “No snow means fewer visitors. We’re one of the main inns that feeds into the mountain. We get the crowd that comes to ski without the expense or the hassle of the lodge.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No one is skiing right now though,” Shawn said, gesturing forlornly outside. “The weather reports keep promising it, but we have fewer reservations than we like.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You couldn’t lose this place, could you?” Liam asked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn wished he hadn’t. He felt Niall go tense under his arm. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re doing everything we can to keep that from happening,” Shawn said firmly. He gave Niall a squeeze and passed out room keys. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You have the four rooms on the second floor,” he said, sliding into host mode to move to conversation away from the thorn in Niall’s side. “There’s a coffee bar and an ice machine, and we do have room service if you’re ever hungry. The menus are in the rooms. You’re welcome to use the lounge and bar during the day. We usually keep the fire going all the time, but we don’t serve alcohol till the evening.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The four men took their keys. Liam and Louis were making conspiratorial facial expressions at each other. Shawn would have laughed if he wasn’t suspicious. Niall had told him enough stories of the antics those two got into during college to be cautious. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks,” Harry said for the group. “When is our first performance?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Niall cracked another grin. “Tomorrow. We’ve got a big six-top coming in to celebrate a birthday or something.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zayn and Harry high fived and walked to the elevator. Liam and Louis lingered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can we treat you to a drink later?” Louis asked Niall. “There’s a lot to catch up on.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Niall nodded. “Can’t say there’s much on my end, but absolutely.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Louis looked between Niall and Shawn. “Are you kidding? You have to dish how you two got together. Give Liam some inspiration.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lou, would you give it up?” Liam sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Louis grinned. “Nope.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And with that, Liam and Louis followed Harry and Zayn to the elevators, leaving Shawn and Niall in their wake. Niall leaned against the counter with an incredulous sigh. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t believe it,” Niall said. “I sort of thought I’d never see them again. Just cause of life, you know?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn rubbed Niall’s shoulders. “They seemed pretty happy to see you.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m pretty happy to see them.” Niall shook his head. “At any rate, they’ll bring some life to this place. Maybe if they post about staying here on social media, we’ll get a little business.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn smiled, grabbed Niall’s arms, and pulled him flush against his chest, kissing Niall soundly on the lips. Niall melted into the kiss, wrapping his arms around Shawn’s waist. They stood there like that for a few moments, Shawn pouring as much love and gladness as he could into the kiss. Niall’s eyes were still closed blissfully when Shawn pulled away. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What was that for?” Niall asked, blinking rapidly, gripping the back of Shawn’s shirt with fisted hands. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn rubbed Niall’s nose with his own. “I haven’t heard you that optimistic in a while. It makes me glad.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Damn,” Niall said. “I’ll do that more often if that’s the sort of kiss I get.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The two chuckled and kissed once more before Shawn shooed Niall out to the barn so he could check the inn’s email and reservations. He felt hopeful. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe their luck was changing after all. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>And let the shenanegains begin!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Louis finished unpacking his suitcase, tucked it under the bed, and stood with his hands on his hips to assess his room. It was small and comfortable, a queen bed in the middle, two nightstands, a small desk, a dresser with a TV (not that Louis would actually watch much), and a big window looking out onto the barn. He could imagine how beautiful it would be covered in snow. </p><p>He chewed his lip, gazing out the window. Damn climate change. No snow. He could see the unused ski lift down the path, the nearby mountain not nearly as snowy as one would expect in <em> December </em>. He and Liam were only staying for four days until they had to get to New York to film <em>Home With You</em>, but Louis wanted to stay forever. </p><p>He wasn’t entirely sure what had come over him. He never unpacked in hotel rooms unless he was on a film shoot. But something about the Columbia Inn, knowing this place belonged to Niall, made Louis want to bunker down for a while. Maybe he could help him. Niall didn’t deserve to have his home and business drug out from underneath him.</p><p>With a final nod, Louis pulled a sweater out from one of the drawers, grabbed his wallet, and walked out into the hallway. He was shutting his door firmly behind him when he heard footsteps from further down the hall. Turning, he grinned at the gangly sight of Harry walking towards him. </p><p>“Dinner?” Harry asked with a smile, and Louis’s heart did a flip-flop. <em> Why did I automatically think he meant as a date? </em> Louis thought bemusedly. </p><p>“Yeah, Liam’s already down there,” Louis replied, ignoring his heart’s acrobatics. </p><p>“Huh,” Harry said, “Zayn too.” </p><p>Louis raised his eyebrows and Harry smirked at him. </p><p>“If they keep going like this we won’t have to help them along at all,” Harry remarked. </p><p>Louis hummed. “I dunno, Liam is a real slower mover. It took him a year before he got up the courage to ask his last girlfriend out.” Louis was still partially convinced Liam and Danielle had danced around each other just to annoy him. He’d liked her. She was funny and kind and Liam seemed happy with her. </p><p>“How long were they together?” Harry asked as they started descending the stairs into the lobby. Shawn was just dimming the lights and gave them a wave as they passed by, saying he’d join them in a few minutes.</p><p>“Three years,” Louis said. “It ended alright actually. Liam wasn’t too bent out of shape. He’s just been hesitant to find anyone else.” Liam mostly seemed worried that whoever he ended up with next wouldn’t last. He’d never actually come out and say that, but that was Louis’s guess. Liam was a commitment sort of guy. He didn’t date people just to date them. </p><p>They walked through the doors to the restaurant, scanning the tables for Liam and Zayn. They were tucked away, at a table by the stage. They hadn’t seen Harry and Louis come in yet. Louis felt Harry touch his wrist and looked over at him. </p><p>“I broke up with someone a year ago,” Harry said quietly. “On Christmas actually. He dumped me. It wasn’t pleasant.” </p><p>Louis’s eyes widened. “I’m sorry,” he said and he meant it. Harry didn’t seem like the type of guy who people would dump. He was electric, golden. <em> Besides, </em> Louis thought, <em> who could ever leave those adorable dimples? </em></p><p>“Thanks,” Harry said, shaking his head slightly as if to shake a bug off his shoulder. “Anyways, Zayn, I think, feels protective of me. He hasn’t gone on any dates since George and I stopped seeing each other. It’s like my experience with an asshole cheating ex-boyfriend has made Zayn afraid to try seeing anyone himself.”</p><p>Louis hummed. It wasn’t an unfamiliar line of thinking. He met all sorts of sacrificing savior types in the industry. People acted or made music as art and it was usually tightly tied to those they loved. That’s how sleazy corporate bosses get musicians and actors signing NDA’s like hotcakes: it was all a ruse, manipulating talent who wanted to provide for and protect their families. It was a gross practice, but common. Louis and Liam never let those sort of NDA’s near their employees on principle. </p><p>“Like if he can protect you and know you’re in a good relationship, then he’s allowed to have one himself? Or if it works for you, it can work for him?” Louis ran a hand through his hair, scratching at his ear. He wasn’t a psychologist, but damn, people were complicated. Especially when romantic relationships were involved.</p><p>Harry nodded. “I think especially with how Cowell has tried to control everything we do, this is one of the few things Zayn still feels he <em> has </em>control over. It’s weird, I know, but…” Harry shrugged. </p><p>“I guess we <em> do </em> have our work cut out for us,” Louis said as he and Harry slowly made their way to Liam and Zayn. </p><p>Harry leaned close to whisper, “At least they seem to like each other.” Louis felt Harry’s breath on his neck for just a moment, before they stepped apart and sat down. </p><p>Liam and Zayn were discussing something that was apparently <em> very important </em>. It took Louis clearing his throat for either of them to look up. </p><p>When they did, they both blushed bright red. Louis had to hold in a laugh. </p><p>“So, what’d we miss?” Harry asked, propping his elbows on the table, grinning like a Cheshire Cat, and lazily browsing the menu. </p><p>Zayn and Liam didn’t look at each other. Instead, Liam took a long sip of water and glanced at Zayn out of the corner of his eye before speaking. </p><p>“We,” Liam started and stopped, “uh… we were just discussing…uh... the inn! Yeah!” He looked a bit relieved and Louis held back a smirk. Louis should have been given a medal. He’d never held back from laughing at Liam this much before. He was a real saint. </p><p>“The inn?” Louis asked, feeling flirty and grabbing the menu from Harry. </p><p>“Oy!” Harry said, but instead of grabbing the menu back, he scootched his chair closer to Louis’s so they could both look at the menu instead. Louis tried to ignore the butterflies in his stomach. Harry’s hair brushed Louis’s shoulder. He smelled like flowers. </p><p>“Yeah,” Zayn replied, pulling Louis’s attention away from Harry. “The inn.” He didn’t look very sure about where Liam was going but neither Harry nor Louis said anything. Zayn looked at Liam who shrugged. </p><p>Louis swallowed down a sarcastic remark about forgetting words around pretty faces. Honestly, and people said <em> Liam </em> was a better actor than Louis. </p><p>Harry however seemed to be feeling charitable. “It is sad,” he said, sitting back in his chair. “Niall seems like a great guy. It’s unfair that the inn is suffering simply cause the weather isn’t cooperating.”</p><p>Zayn nodded in agreement. “It’s like taking money under false pretenses for our performances.”  </p><p>“Don’t go telling Niall that,” Shawn said from behind Louis. He walked up to the table and pulled up a chair. “He’ll just hire you for another week. He’s a sucker for a good musical duo.”</p><p>“Shawn, is it really that bad?” Liam asked, leaning forward to rest his arms on the table. </p><p>Shawn shrugged. “It could be worse. We’re not going to lose it <em> this </em> year, but it’s what we have here isn’t sustainable. We need something to bring people in, otherwise, we’ll lose the inn in a year or two.” </p><p>“What if you could bring in a big name or something to get some publicity?” Louis said. “You know, get an influencer in here to do some Insta stories or whatever the kids do these days.”</p><p>Four sets of eyes blinked at him. Zayn and Shawn burst out laughing. </p><p>“What?” Louis asked, affronted.</p><p>Liam replied first. “Louis, you’re 28. You’re not old.” </p><p>Harry scoffed. “More importantly,” he looked between Louis and Liam, “we have <em> two </em> big names sitting right here. Tomlinson and Payne!” He gestured between them frantically. </p><p>Liam shrugged. “I dunno Harry, we might be too big.” </p><p>Zayn cast him a glance. “That doesn’t even make sense, Li.” </p><p>Louis did a double-take. Since when were Zayn and Liam on <em> nickname </em> terms? The thought was lost as the conversation carried on and Louis got a funny feeling in his gut at the look in Liam’s eyes. </p><p>“I mean, we’d be happy with a single Instagram story from you two,” Shawn said. You don’t even have to mention the inn specifically, just like… have it in the background or something.” </p><p>“I dunno, there must be something better,” Harry said. “Something with real pizazz.” </p><p>“Haz, no one uses the word pizazz anymore,” Louis said, despite his stomach doing a backflip. Honestly, when had his internal organs joined the circus without telling him?</p><p>“We can bring it back,” Harry said excitedly. “Just like you could bring Niall and Shawn some customers.” </p><p>“You could bring <em>Little Black Dress</em> here,” Zayn suggested, “and Shawn and Niall could charge extra for people who wanted rooms and tickets and dinner as a package or something.”</p><p>“Or you could film a behind-the-scenes of you two working on new ideas,” Harry pitched. “Two producers, taking a break from it all to get new ideas at an idyllic Vermont inn.” </p><p>“I feel like for it to get traction, we’d need to do something big,” Louis said, tapping his chin. “Something that would get people talking about the place as much as the project.”</p><p>“Actually, that might work,” Liam muttered. </p><p>“What might work?” Louis asked. Liam met his eyes. Uh-oh. Louis knew that look. It usually meant Louis wasn’t going to get a normal amount of sleep for a long time...</p><p>“What if we brought <em>Home With You</em> here?” Liam said. Louis’s jaw dropped. “Wait, Lou, think about it. We were going to film it in New York, but why not here? Wouldn’t that be more authentic?” </p><p>“What is <em>Home With You</em>?” Shawn asked, looking between Liam’s excited, determined face and Louis’s shocked, fish mouthing gaze. </p><p>“We wanted to do a project to sort of bring people together for Christmas, like one of those old Christmas variety shows,” Liam said. “We’d get a bunch of musicians and actors and performers we love and do a live show on Christmas Eve for people to watch together. Lou and I were even going to do our own duet, which we haven’t done in years.”</p><p>“Sort like those old Christmas movies,” Louis said. “That one about a white Christmas or something? With Bing Crosby?” </p><p>“There’d be costumes and Santa and the whole thing,” Liam said. “We’d originally planned on filming it in New York.” He looked around the restaurant, really taking in the surprisingly full-sized stage and the quaint gardens and stables outside for the first time. “But if it was here…” He tapped his chin. “We could throw Zayn and Harry in, get the whole gang here… it’s not too crazy...” </p><p>Liam trailed off and stood, muttering to himself and walking off to the lobby and dashing up the stairs. The other four followed him with their eyes. Shawn looked like he could barely contain his excitement, Zayn looked very impressed, and Harry was grinning like an idiot. They didn’t know what they were all about to get sucked into. </p><p>“Oh no,” Louis said with a sigh. </p><p>“Oh no?” Harry asked, whipping his head around to look at Louis. “What’s wrong? It’s a great idea!”</p><p>“It is,” Louis agreed. “But he’s got his Rogers and Hammerstein look.”</p><p>“Is that a bad thing?” Zayn asked, his eyebrows almost reaching his hairline. </p><p>“No, but it’s always very expensive.” </p><p>Louis stood with a good-natured grin and followed the direction Liam had run. He heard Liam’s voice carrying through the door to his room. Louis knocked, then opened the door and walked in. </p><p>“...and give the whole team two weeks holiday pay, and an extra week of time off they can use whenever they want,” Liam was speaking to probably Jade. She was the only one either of them would call when they got<em> this </em> harebrained sort of scheme. “You’ll get a bonus if we can work this out, Jade. It’ll make the whole thing feel like a Norman Rockwell painting without the racism and the misogyny.” </p><p>Louis snorted. Liam turned and gestured him in, grinning wide like Louis hadn’t seen in a while. </p><p>“How much will this cost, Li?” Louis asked. Their accountant was probably going to have a heart attack… rerouting all those flights, sending props and costumes to a whole different location, and sending out bonuses, all five days before Christmas Eve. Louis made a mental note to give their accountant a bonus too. </p><p>Liam was still talking to Jade, so Louis snapped his fingers in Liam’s face. He got a glare for his trouble but repeated his question. </p><p>“Jade, any idea what this will cost us?” Liam asked begrudgingly. His eyes went wide. </p><p>“Wow,” he said haltingly. </p><p>Louis gulped. “How much is ‘wow’?” </p><p>“Well, thanks Jade,” Liam said, ignoring Louis. “Keep us posted and we’ll see you tomorrow.” </p><p>Louis gripped Liam’s arms, not even letting Liam hang up the phone properly. </p><p>“Liam,” Louis said with a resigned grin, “how much is ‘wow’?”</p><p>Liam blinked. “About half of what we made from Infinity.” </p><p>Louis blinked back. </p><p>“Wow.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Here's a little fluff for this cold winter's day. :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Shawn tread carefully down the back stairs, willing them to stay silent. He reached the landing and gazed down the hallway, his suspicion confirmed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The light in the office was still on. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He made his way down the hallway, a heavy sigh urging his feet through the door just in time for Shawn to see Niall run an agitated hand through his hair. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He leaned against the door frame, watching Niall just for a moment. The soft orange glow of the old lamp cast shadows on the walls, Niall’s form a hunchbacked figure against the wallpaper. The lamp in the lobby was on, as it usually was when they had vacancies at the inn. Which was every night, lately. At least now they had Niall’s friends from his firefighting days. They livened up the place and made Niall smile. Shawn wanted to do everything he could to keep that smile on Niall’s face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Niall sighed again and looked up, meeting Shawn’s eyes bashfully. Shawn shook his head fondly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Staring at the numbers won’t make them change, love,” he said, making his way to stand beside Niall. They were quiet for a moment, staring down at the handwritten logbook of notes and to-do lists on the desk in front of Niall. Shawn could see Niall’s notes in the corners of the planner, simple things like “lent rake to Larry, ask about getting it back”, and “traded a one night stay for six gallons of fresh milk, twelve dozen eggs, and three wheels of farmer’s cheese”. They had to stop taking payment in forms that weren’t money. They didn’t live in the 1950s after all. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A note at the bottom of the page currently open on the desk said: “send duet home with half pay????”. They hadn’t actually decided whether or not to keep Harry and Zayn on as their floor show. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry and Zayn’s presence, and along with them, Louis and Liam’s, gave Shawn pause. He was glad the four men had stayed and that Niall had kept them on. Technically they could pay them. And after the conversation at dinner, maybe having two famous producers at the inn would be a good thing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You looked happy to see Liam and Louis again,” Shawn said, gently running his fingers through Niall’s hair. Niall sighed again, and leaned his shoulder into Shawn’s hip, nodding once. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I haven’t seen them in years. It feels like they breathed a bit of life in here,” Niall answered. He leaned his head into Shawn’s stomach, wrapping his arms around Shawn’s thighs. Shawn smiled softly, his hand resting on Niall’s head, tangled in his hair, the other hand reaching out to close the planner. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Liam and Louis were coming up with some sort of plan at dinner tonight,” Shawn said, rocking them side to side. “They were pretty excited about it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Niall harrumphed. “What sort of plan?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Something about bringing a variety show for Youtube here to the inn,” Shawn said. Niall’s head shot up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Those bastards,” he said fondly. “You should have seen them in college Shawn… give them an idea and they could run with it like no other. Can you imagine the inn actually full again?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Someone cleared their throat just then, and Shawn released Niall, to attempt to be more professional. At least, more professional than having your boyfriend’s face nuzzling your stomach. Liam stood there, looking bashful and a bit regretful that he’d interrupted. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry to bother you,” Liam asked. “I thought I might grab a bit of a midnight snack.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure,” Niall said with a smile. “Down the hall, last door on your right. Help yourself to anything in the fridge, except for the bacon.” Niall grinned. “That’s for breakfast and you know Louis would have your head if you didn’t save him any.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Liam chuckled, glancing between Niall and Shawn with a knowing smile. “Damn right,” he said before turning to walk away. He paused at the edge of the lobby and looked back. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I remember you talking about Shawn when we were at the station, Niall,” Liam said with a soft smile. “I’m glad it worked out.” He left them for the kitchen, the door at the end of the hall swinging shut behind him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn felt Niall’s arms wrap around his hips again. He looked down at the top of Niall’s head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You talked about me in college?” Shawn asked, grinning widely. Niall had returned from college and waited two years for Shawn to graduate before asking him out. They had moved in together within the year. Shawn sometimes felt they were already an old married couple.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t worry about it, Shawnie,” Niall said, mumbling into Shawn’s stomach. “I have no self-control talking about things I love.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn pulled Niall up with hands underneath his arms till they were standing front to front. Shawn cupped Niall’s face in his hands, pulling him in for a kiss. Shawn felt his toes curl and he gripped Niall’s hips. They kissed for several minutes, with no agenda other than pouring love into one another. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn broke away first when he remembered Liam was still wandering around the inn, resting his forehead against Niall’s. “Let’s go to bed, yeah?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Niall nodded and yawned, flicking off the light before letting Shawn grasp his hand and lead him out into the lobby, down the back hallway and upstairs to their room. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do I do if I lose this place? Grandpa trusted me,” Niall asked sleepily, after they’d changed into pajamas, brushed their teeth, and climbed into bed. Niall lay on his back, eyes closed, one arm thrown over his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn rolled onto his side, nestling his face into Niall’s shoulder, kissing his collarbone. “You won’t,” Shawn said. Not if Louis and Liam had anything to say about it apparently. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“At the very least,” Niall breathed, whispering into the dark, “I have you, right?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn smiled, kissing Niall’s shoulder this time before propping himself up to look down at Niall. Niall opened his eyes sleepily, gazing up at Shawn hovering over him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You always have me, Niall,” Shawn said. He smirked, poking Niall in the ribs. “You’re stuck with me.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Niall grinned back. “Four years down, life to go,” he said. Shawn fell asleep, Niall’s smile dancing behind his eyelids.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>What's your favorite holiday beverage? I'm a big fan of eggnog, but spiced cider is the runner up for me! Tell in the comments!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you so much for all your comments! Particularly everyone's opinion on snow and winter beverages. I'm a nerd who loves reading everyone's opinions. :P If you didn't tell me what your thoughts about snow are, what your favorite winter beverage is, tell me in the comments today!! </p><p>And buckle up buttercups... here it comes. :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Zayn looked up from his perch on the kitchen counter as the kitchen door opened, revealing Liam smiling to himself. He caught Zayn’s eye and Liam’s grin changed from satisfied to bashful and curious. Zayn ignored the way his breath caught in his throat. He did.</p><p>“Zayn! Hi,” Liam said breathlessly. Zayn grinned back, easy but shy. He’d come into the kitchen for a snack, to see if he could stop his brain from running a mile a minute. Everything about the inn, meeting Niall and Shawn and Liam and Louis was rushing through him faster than he could process. It was a lot to take in in such a short amount of time.</p><p>Zayn was almost positive it had been Louis’s idea, not Liam’s, to give him and Harry the train vouchers. Regardless, Liam didn’t seem upset by it. Zayn and Liam had talked the whole train ride to Vermont, sometimes chatting with Harry and Louis, but mostly in their own world. Once they’d found out they both loved Marvel, it was all downhill from there. It was nice to be reminded that Liam was a real person, not just some figure-head celebrity. He was a real person that Zayn actually <em> liked</em>. Quite a lot. Liam even seemed equally interested in Zayn.</p><p>It didn’t mean anything though. Zayn had to focus on Harry and on his own music. No matter how much he liked someone, it didn’t mean anything. </p><p>Besides, Harry seemed pretty besotted with Louis. Zayn had to keep his best friend out of trouble, right? He didn’t have time to focus on his own relationship if he was worried about Harry all the time.</p><p>“Hi Liam,” Zayn said, hopping down from the counter. It looked like he wasn’t the only one who couldn’t sleep. Although Zayn doubted Liam argued with himself as much as Zayn did. “What’re you doing up?”</p><p>Liam walked over to the fridge. “I could ask you the same thing. I was hungry. I can’t fall asleep until I eat a little something. I was hoping there would be leftover sandwiches.” </p><p>Zayn chuckled. “There are.” He held up the plate of sandwiches with a grin. Liam fist-pumped the air. “Want to join me? I made hot cocoa too.” </p><p>Liam nodded eagerly. “That sounds great.” He took the tray from Zayn’s hands, their fingers grazing. Zayn shivered, ignored it, and grabbed the pitcher of hot cocoa he’d made and two mugs. </p><p>Liam led them out into the restaurant, straight to the squashy lounge chairs by the fireplace. Zayn couldn’t help but watch Liam as he walked. He carried himself confidently at first glance, but there was something about his shoulders that seemed weighed down. Louis had said something about them working too hard. </p><p>“Did you see Niall and Shawn when you came down?” Liam asked, setting the sandwiches down on the table. “They seemed pretty cozy.”</p><p>He stoked the fire, bringing the flames up a bit for more warmth, then settled into the sofa. Zayn uncapped the hot cocoa and poured the two mugs full. </p><p>“I just saw Niall,” he replied. “He looked like he was in the middle of something so I didn’t interrupt.” Zayn didn’t mention how Niall looked like he was pulling his hair out. Not even as a figure of speech. He couldn’t imagine running an inn. Zayn could hardly keep Cowell off his ass, let alone run an entire building that was supposed to help people have a good vacation. </p><p>Liam hummed. “Niall’s a good friend. A good person. I hope we can help him.” </p><p>“From what Louis said, it sounds like you two have a trick up your sleeve.” Zayn stood, watching the fire for a moment. Louis’s exuberance reminded him of Harry’s, in a way. They both shared a quick passion, though Louis seemed more calculating. Zayn almost laughed out loud. What a pair they’d make. </p><p>Liam smiled softly. “Well, I hope so. It’s not another Academy Award, but…” He sighed, rubbing his face with his hands. The act gave Zayn the impression that Liam didn’t let his guard down very often. </p><p>“But what?” Zayn asked as he came to sit next to Liam, handing him a mug of cocoa. They leaned back on the sofa, their shoulders just grazing. </p><p>“But there’s a lot of ways to tell a story,” Liam said. “We’ve gotten where we are because we’ve made things the critics and the general public love. We’re wanting to try new things though, new ways of telling stories and getting people around an idea.” He was getting more and more animated as he talked, gesturing vaguely with his hands. </p><p>“Youtube isn’t going to get us any awards or win us any points with critics, but it’s a great idea. My parents showed me all sorts of those old variety shows when I was a kid and I loved them. I think there’s something that appeals to me about sharing something like that with a new generation, you know? And having it at this quaint inn… if we get snow, it’ll just be the cream on top.”</p><p>“Yeah. You’re playing on nostalgia, in a way,” Zayn said. “People love that sort of thing at Christmas. It’s a great idea, especially since you’re bringing the whole team here. How many people are coming, anyways?”</p><p>Liam blushed. “Uh… it’s a steady team of fifty-five people, and we’ll have a few seasonal contractors. Louis will be arranging everyone’s rooms tomorrow. We might have to get rooms for some of them up the road at the Lodge. I don’t think there’s room here for everyone unless Niall is hiding cabins somewhere.”</p><p>Zayn’s eyes went wide. “Damn, Liam, that’s amazing. He should charge you extra for being such a big group.” He was still a bit in awe of how Liam and Louis were able to bring together an entire production team in barely eight hours. They were great storytellers, but they obviously had to be good businessmen too. Zayn and Harry could learn a lot from them if Harry wasn’t so interested in getting Louis’s pants off. </p><p>Liam chuckled. “We’ll leave him a good tip. Might as well do something productive with our budget.” </p><p>There was a comfortable pause as they took bites of their sandwiches, sips of their cocoa, and watched the fire. It felt odd that there was no snow… everything else felt like something out of a Christmas movie. Liam sighed contentedly next to him and Zayn felt Liam lean into his shoulder a bit more. Zayn did not lean back. </p><p>Not at all. </p><p>“Don’t you ever get tired, doing projects like this over and over?” Zayn asked, his arm almost entirely in contact with Liam’s arm. “It must be exhausting. Wasn’t Louis saying the night we met that you needed a break?”</p><p>Liam shrugged. “Don’t ever tell him I said this, but he’s right. We’ve been working too hard. It’s not sustainable.”</p><p>“Do you want something sustainable?” Zayn asked. “Like getting to stay in one place and work on different things?” </p><p>Liam nodded. “We’ve got some amazing accolades under our belt. We have the freedom now to try a variety of different mediums. I know Louis wants to write a book. I’d like to try my hand at a podcast maybe, or a collection of poetry or something.”</p><p>Zayn raised his eyebrows. “Poetry? By the great Liam Payne? I’d read it.” </p><p>Liam chuckled. “I think I’ve reached the point where I want to add in an element of helping people. Stories always help people, they’re what bind us all together. But something tangible to show for it all at the end of my life would be nice.”</p><p>“Like what you’re doing with this Youtube show,” Zayn prodded, looking over at Liam. Liam looked back, his eyes deep and stormy. </p><p>“This show we’re bringing here,” Liam started, “it will actually help Niall, in a tangible way. We haven’t been able to do that with any of our shows yet. It’s really nice.”</p><p>Zayn smiled softly. “You’re a good person, Liam.” </p><p>Liam shook his head. “Louis was the one who gave you the vouchers. Not me.” </p><p>“I thought so,” Zayn said gently. </p><p>“How?” Liam looked resignedly curious.</p><p>It was Zayn’s turn to shrug. “The look of shocked surprise when Harry and I showed up on the train. The way you looked like you were about to murder Louis. I’m still grateful. Cowell’s been a real ass.”</p><p>“You deserve to get away from him,” Liam said. They were close now, their faces mere inches apart. </p><p>“I don’t know if it was worth all the hassle to you though,” Zayn said. He couldn’t look away from Liam’s eyes. They were still stormy, but twinkling and curious. </p><p>“I don’t regret it,” Liam said, his voice soft and tender in the firelight. “I don’t regret getting more time with you.” </p><p>Zayn blushed and looked away. He played with his fingers and looked down to his lap. He did, however, reply, “Me neither.” </p><p>There was another slightly less comfortable silence. But not in a bad way, Zayn thought. They felt suspended in something he couldn’t name that wasn’t bad, but was definitely new. </p><p>Damn, it had been a long time since he’d dated anyone. </p><p>Zayn looked up at Liam again, wracking his brain for another conversation topic. </p><p>“Does Niall know all the details yet?” Zayn asked. “About the show, I mean.”</p><p>Liam shook his head. “We’re pitching him the idea tomorrow. Hopefully, he says yes, cause our crew is coming in on the 4 o’clock train.” </p><p>Zayn chuckled and couldn’t help but adore the way Liam’s eyes crinkled as he laughed with him.  </p><p>“Well, at least Shawn seemed up for it,” Zayn said. “He’ll be a big help I’m sure. </p><p>“I’m glad Niall has Shawn,” Liam said. “Niall had a thing for him for years. Besides, everything is easier with a partner.” </p><p>Zayn snorted, effectively destroying whatever moment he and Liam had just shared moments ago. “Not everything.”</p><p>“You don’t think so?” Liam asked, eyebrows raised in surprise. </p><p>“Relationships are hard. They take work. Some things are easier, sure,” Zayn said with a shrug. “But not everything.” </p><p>Liam adjusted his legs and Zayn felt the heat from his shoulders pressing into his own. Zayn knew he sounded cynical, but he had the right to be. Aside from his parents, he didn’t know many couples who lasted.  </p><p>“Maybe,” Liam said, taking a bite of his sandwich. “I can’t say I’m super thrilled to go waltzing into a new relationship. But having a partner, someone to go through life with you… that’s pretty amazing.” </p><p>“Louis made it sound like you weren’t interested,” Zayn said, partially as a reminder to himself to <em> calm the fuck down</em>. </p><p>“I would be if I found the right person,” Liam said, looking everywhere except for Zayn. </p><p>“And how will you know? That you’ve found the right person?” </p><p>Liam turned to stare at Zayn, and Zayn felt his gaze to his toes. The stormy brown eyes were on him again and he couldn’t look away, not for snow, not for Harry running around the inn naked, not for the end of the world.</p><p>“I’ll just know,” Liam said. </p><p>Once again, their faces were inches apart. Liam looked down at Zayn’s lips, licking his own. Zayn only had a second to question whether or not this was a good idea, when he and Liam met halfway, lips pressing together. </p><p>Liam’s lips were soft and gentle and the kiss lasted enough of a moment to get Zayn’s heart pounding. He was kissing <em> Liam </em>. Kind, thoughtful, intelligent Liam who Zayn really liked, probably more than he should.</p><p>Then, suddenly, he wasn’t kissing anyone anymore. </p><p>Liam stood, swearing to himself and pacing in front of the fireplace. Zayn shut his eyes, shaking his head. </p><p>“I’m…” Liam stuttered. “I’m sorry, I…”</p><p>“It’s fine,” Zayn said. He didn’t want to make things awkward. His heart crumbled, but he ignored it and attempted to act like everything was fine. He wanted to be in the show. He didn’t want to be a bother. “It was just a kiss.” </p><p>Liam turned to face Zayn. He looked stricken, but not as Zayn expected. He strode back to the sofa and sat down, taking Zayn’s hands in his own. </p><p>“I didn’t want it to be <em> just </em> a kiss,” Liam said. “I know that’s a lot of pressure and I’m sorry, but I haven’t been this attracted to someone in years and I…” He paused, fishmouthing, before going on. “I understand if this isn’t something you’re interested in. I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I didn’t…” </p><p>He almost let go of Zayn’s hands and turned to stand, but Zayn stopped him by gripping his fingers. Liam turned back, endless brown eyes meeting Zayn’s. </p><p>“I am interested,” Zayn blurted, surprised at himself for being so forthcoming. He grinned, hesitantly. “I just… that was sort of fast from someone I only met two days ago.” </p><p>Liam let out a relieved sigh and nodded. Zayn gave his fingers a squeeze and continued. </p><p>“Let’s just, take this slow, yeah?”</p><p>Liam nodded again, looking down at their entwined hands. Zayn felt his chest warm. When was the last time he’d held hands with someone?</p><p>“Thanks,” Liam said, and they both giggled at the look on Liam’s face. “I’m not sure why I said thanks, but yes, slow. I can do that.” </p><p>Zayn didn’t respond aside from giving Liam’s hands another squeeze before letting go. He leaned back onto the couch, once again wracking his brain for something to redirect the conversation. If they stayed where they were, Zayn would definitely kiss him again. </p><p>“Do you have any ideas yet for what the acts will be for <em> Home With You </em>?” Zayn asked. </p><p>Liam swallowed, and shook himself, settling back onto the couch, still close but not touching Zayn. Zayn ignored the disappointed swoop in his stomach. </p><p>“Yeah, I’m working on one right now,” Liam said. “It’s what was keeping me awake.” </p><p>“Can I hear a bit of it?” Zayn asked. </p><p>Liam thought for a moment, tapping his knee, thinking. Then he stood and gestured for Zayn to follow him to the piano. He settled in at the bench, placed his hands on the keys, and began to play a soft melody. Zayn leaned against the baby grand piano, closed his eyes, and soaked in Liam’s lyrics. </p><p>
  <em> When I'm worried and I can't sleep </em>
</p><p>
  <em> I count my blessings instead of sheep </em>
</p><p>
  <em> And I fall asleep counting my blessings </em>
</p><p>
  <em> When my bankroll is getting small </em>
</p><p>
  <em> I think of when I had none at all </em>
</p><p>
  <em> And I fall asleep counting my blessings </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>See you tomorrow!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter 11</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Shenanigans, fluff... it's all here.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Louis had to hold back a laugh as he watched Niall’s face filter through six different emotions, all resulting in him looking like he was battling a particularly desperate sneeze. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You alright, Ni?” Liam asked, clearly concerned. The three of them stood in the kitchen, a snowless landscape outside the window. Louis could hear Zayn and Harry rehearsing on the stage through the door to the restaurant for their show that night.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Niall fishmouthed and Louis put a hand on his shoulder, giving him a squeeze. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You do have a few open rooms to spare for our crew, right?” Louis asked, trying to move along the conversation. He’d expected Niall to be surprised when he and Liam shared their idea of filming </span>
  <em>
    <span>Home With You</span>
  </em>
  <span> at the Columbia Inn, but he hadn’t expected Niall to practically go catatonic. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There’s about fifty of them, and they’ll all need to eat,” Louis said. “Plus we’ll have to monopolize the stage for a night when we premiere the show live on Youtube, but we could always sell tickets to locals who want to come and be a live audience. Really get the feel of an old-timey live holiday show.” He was getting excited just thinking about it. It was like those old Christmas musicals he loved as a kid. Bing Crosby would be so proud.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Niall nodded. “Um, yeah, uh, Shawn does the reservations…” he trailed off, looking winded and flabbergasted. Louis was sure he saw a few tears too. It just reminded Louis how important this project would be.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’d been having such a hard time finding a location, Niall,” Louis said, wrapping an arm around Niall’s shoulders and steering him towards the lobby. “The inn is perfect. It’s this quaint oasis, perfect for a Christmas show. It’s homey, it’s warm, it’s welcoming.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s ideal, really,” Liam added. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s exactly the word we used when we saw the inn,” Louis said excitedly. “Ideal, positively ideal!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ideal,” Liam said with a vague but firm nod as the three of them got to the counter where Shawn was typing away at the computer. Liam had seemed a bit out of sorts all morning, and Louis figured maybe they were going overboard in calling the inn ideal so many times. He would run with it regardless and talk to Liam about what was bothering him later.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn did a doubletake of his boyfriend’s stunned expression and ducked his head, hiding his smirk. Louis had heard a lot about Shawn in college but really… Niall couldn’t have done better. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I get that the inn is Ideal,” Niall said shakily. “That’s a lot of publicity for the inn… but we do have several open rooms…” He trailed off again, looking hopefully and helplessly at Shawn, who grinned at the three of them. Louis hoped they hadn’t broken Niall with their request, but at least Niall had Shawn to keep him afloat. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So it’s official?” Shawn asked, looking between the three of them. “You’re filming here?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Louis nodded. “Yep. The inn is positively ideal.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn snorted but clicked around on the computer. “How many rooms will you need?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Louis and Liam exchanged a glance. “Well, as many as you have open. In addition to Liam and I, there are over fifty people.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn raised his eyebrows. “Alrighty. I’ll call the Lodge down the road and see if they have any open rooms too. Get me a list of who shares and who wants their own room and I’ll get it sorted. When does everyone get in?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The 4 o’clock train,” Liam said, pulling out his phone to figure out room assignments. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>With his arm still around Niall’s shoulders, Louis steered Niall to the sitting area in the lobby, plopping them both down on the sofa. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You with me, Niall?” Louis said, softening his excited edges. Niall seemed excited but also more bewildered than Louis had expected. How bad </span>
  <em>
    <span>were</span>
  </em>
  <span> things for the inn?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Niall huffed out a sigh and rubbed his face. “Yeah, Lou, I’m just… overwhelmed.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is the inn really that bad?” Louis asked. He removed his arm from Niall’s shoulders and turned to prop a knee up on the sofa, facing Niall. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Niall shrugged. “It’s been rough. Shawn is amazing and the most patient person I know… I wouldn’t have kept this place afloat without him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a pause and Louis prodded him. “I feel like there’s a but there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Niall shrugged. “It can get lonely here, you know. We have fun, but when we don’t have customers, it can feel pretty isolating. It’s not like there’s a thriving queer community here. The idea of having so many people at the inn… that hasn’t happened since I was a kid.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Louis smiled. “You’re not alone, Niall. I’m sorry we lost touch, you know, after college. That’s one of a million reasons I keep telling Liam we need a break.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And yet you’re taking on a big show to save my inn,” Niall said, giving Louis a stare that was far more discerning than Louis was really comfortable with. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s just a really great byproduct,” Louis said. “We’ll take a break afterward and the show will be a hit. Trust me, Niall. Everything will work out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, I’m glad to see you and Liam again, at least,” Niall said. “I don’t really understand show biz, but I’ll do what I can to help.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s all we ask,” Louis said, patting Niall on the shoulder and standing. He’d promised to go on a walk with Harry once Harry and Zayn were done rehearsing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He bid Niall goodbye and walked into the restaurant, catching the beginning of Harry and Zayn’s last song. They really were an amazing duo. Their voices melded together beautifully and they were singing something Louis hadn’t heard before.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He stood for a moment at the back of the restaurant, listening to the two sing, his gaze falling on Harry. Harry had an electric stage presence. He could make anyone smile when he grinned enough for his dimples to come out. He had a lilt to his voice that was at once comforting and exciting and Louis couldn’t help but listen. He was already planning multiple ways to incorporate Harry and Zayn into </span>
  <em>
    <span>Home With You</span>
  </em>
  <span>. It was a shame Cowell reigned them in so much that they couldn’t do anything of their own. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Louis frowned to himself. It was also a shame that Niall felt so alone. The team had been so close when they’d fought fires together that summer. Louis thought back to how they’d actually all stayed in touch for a few years, texting and video chatting, and a few even showed up as extras in some of his and Liam’s productions. When was the last time they’d gotten everyone all together? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The gears started to spin in Louis’s mind, the way they always did when he was getting a good idea. They turned and turned and Louis’s eyes went wide as an idea popped out. He was calculating something on his fingers when Harry walked up to him, curiously grinning at the intense, thoughtful look on Louis’s face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Building a rocket or something?” Harry asked, snapping Louis out of his reverie. Louis grinned in greeting and Harry chuckled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You look like you’re trying to figure out how to get the inn into space,” Harry said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Louis shook his head. “I’m calculating the possibility of getting our old firefighting cohort here for </span>
  <em>
    <span>Home With You</span>
  </em>
  <span>. It’s so last minute but I know a bunch of the crew lives on the East coast... “ </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are they all performers?” Harry asked, and Louis followed him out the backdoor and into the rose garden that framed the back entrance. The roses were dead and cut back for winter but Louis could briefly imagine how beautiful the garden would be in the summer. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, just Liam and I,” Louis said. “But it could be fun to get them and their families here as audience members. Niall mentioned feeling pretty lonely. It might be nice to help him feel important again.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry stopped at the edge of the garden, fixing Louis with a stunned expression. Louis paused too. He hadn’t expected to meet anyone like Harry, but suddenly Louis realized he cared quite a lot about what Harry thought of him. He liked Harry. He wanted Harry to like him back. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He just… didn’t know what that meant. He hadn’t been interested in someone since college. Is this what that was? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why are you looking at me like that?” Louis asked, fidgeting from foot to foot under Harry’s gaze. It didn’t make him uncomfortable.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re too good,” Harry said cryptically, before stepping forward and walking towards the stables. Louis trotted after him, navigating the garden paths with a bit more grace than Harry, who tripped over a stray tree root.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s that supposed to mean?” He asked. Harry shook his head incredulously, righting himself from his trip, and blushing. It was adorable. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re a lot kinder than anyone else I’ve met in the industry,” Harry said as they walked into the barn. The scent of horses and hay and manure hit Louis like a wave. He sort of loved it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Most of the people we’ve met are like Cowell,” Harry continued. “They just see us as voices, not human beings. You and Liam are actually human and remember that we’re human. It’s nice.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The industry needs more of that, I think,” Louis said. “Besides, if there’s something I can do to help, why not? We all have something we love or want. We could afford to help each other more if we’re in a position to.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He went to one of the horses, offering his hand for her to sniff, then petting her neck. The horse - Poppy, her halter said - licked her lips and nudged his shoulder. Louis smiled and looked back at Harry. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s beautiful, Lou,” Harry said softly. “It’s comforting to know you exist.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wasn’t sure how to describe the look on Harry’s face or respond to what he said but it did a number to Louis’s heart. They stood there grinning at each other like idiots till Liam came running to tell them that their crew had arrived early. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So, who thinks Louis and Liam are crazy? :P</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Chapter 12</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>More fluff cause Niall and Shawn can't contain it. I regret nothing.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Shawn and Niall stood at the back of the restaurant, watching the hustle and bustle around them with matching awed expressions. Shawn had grown up following Niall around the inn and while he could remember some fun parties and one holiday weekend when all the rooms had been booked, he couldn’t remember anything quite like this. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think the inn was ever this busy, even when my granddad owned it,” Niall muttered under his breath, echoing Shawn’s thought. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn shook his head in amazement. “I’ve never seen this many people here, not the whole time we were growing up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Liam and Louis’s team had arrived earlier than anticipated. Niall and Shawn had scrambled to get the rooms ready, and within an hour, every room in the inn was full, including the extension above the barn. It was so full that several members of Liam’s and Louis’s team had been sent to the Lodge for backup rooms. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Along with the people came the accouterments that Niall and Shawn’s hadn't expected: partially built sets, racks of costumes, sound equipment, video equipment, umbrellas and microphones, and light sources, plus cork boards with various photos, and more laptops than had ever been seen in the state of Vermont.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was dizzying and Shawn had a moment of culture shock when someone asked him if there was a local sushi place. He’d almost laughed in their face, then remembered his manners, apologizing for the lack of sushi, but assuring the visitor of the freshness of the seafood entree for dinner that night. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once everyone had settled in their rooms, Liam and Louis called the team into the restaurant to explain the plan: everyone had dinner, Harry and Zayn played their own set with their own songs - which got raucous applause from Louis, Liam, and their crew. Then everyone went to bed, excited and ready to start setting up for rehearsals the next morning. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn and Niall hit the ground running and only found a moment of respite just after breakfast, before venturing into the chaos of the restaurant to observe the goings-on. They stood side by side at the back of the room, leaning against the wall, taking it all in. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This will be good for us, right?” Niall asked, a soft frown on his face. “For the inn?” His brow was furrowed deeply. Shawn leaned over, his back to the restaurant, bracing Niall’s against the wall, and kissed Niall between the eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn leaned back just an inch and nuzzled Niall’s nose with his own. “Yes, love. This will be </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> good for the inn,” he replied. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Niall sighed, and nodded, gripping Shawn’s forearms like his life depended on it. Despite the noise and shouting and planning and organizing going on behind him, Shawn zeroed in on Niall, his hands resting on his lover’s hips. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just think,” Shawn said softly. “We might be able to pay off all your granddad’s old debts, pay off the mortgage. Once this makes it to social media and the whole show premiers, we could have reservations booked three years out.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Niall chuckled. “I don’t know anything about show business, but that seems optimistic.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Isn’t it my job to be?” Shawn said, letting Niall go on one side and turning to face the room again. He slid his arm around Niall’s waist and gazed at the full restaurant. “Do you have any idea what they’re doing?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Liam was at the piano with Zayn and a few other performers, chatting animatedly and occasionally playing phrases on the keys. Shawn had overheard Liam and Zayn talking about some new song and he was excited to hear new music from Liam and Louis. Harry and Zayn seemed like a perfect addition to the cast.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Louis was marching around with what Shawn could only guess were maybe set designers or art directors, gesturing excitedly and pointing at various corners of the room. They were building some sort of addition to the stage, although Liam and Louis had assured him that the space was ideal and they’d take everything down once they were done. Shawn was a little skeptical, but if Louis’s enthusiastic arm movements were anything to go by, it would at least </span>
  <em>
    <span>look</span>
  </em>
  <span> really good.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the far corner, Harry seemed to have suddenly become in charge of something artsy and was huddled at a table with two women, all three of them hunkered over swatches of fabric and paint samples and what looked like photographs of no one Shawn knew. Louis had mentioned something about costumes or design in passing, but Shawn didn’t know enough to keep track. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>At least all he and Niall had to do was make sure the building didn’t burn down. Show business wasn’t something he ever wanted to get into. He liked their little country inn.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Niall just shook his head. “Not a clue.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m glad we run an inn and not a production company,” Shawn said. “I’m almost surprised Liam and Louis aren’t romantically together.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Niall barked out a laugh. “Oh they’d hate each other,” he said knowingly. “They obviously work well together, but they wouldn’t have the right balance romantically. Not like us, anyways.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We do make a good team,” Shawn said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We probably should make it official,” Niall said casually, causing Shawn’s heart to begin a rapid thumping in his chest. “I want to get you on the paperwork legally. For this place and for me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn gaped at Niall, not blinking. “Niall!” He squeaked out. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Niall looked at him, surprised. “What?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is that how you plan to propose to me? Shawn said, breathlessly. “By telling me you want to put me on the paperwork legally for the inn?” He was almost incensed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Niall laughed out loud, shaking his head, and stepping close to Shawn, cupping his cheek and looking up at him with loving eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Trust me Shawnie,” Niall said in a low voice. “When I ask you to marry me, you’ll know.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn shook his own head incredulously. “What if I ask you first?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Niall pretended to look aghast. “Would you dare?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Love, you know I would,” Shawn said, looking Niall up and down. “We’ll end up doing something ridiculous like planning to propose at the same time or accidentally getting married in Vegas or something.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Niall grew serious, gazing at Shawn fondly. “Nothing about you and me was or will be an accident, Shawnie.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn kissed Niall soundly then, arms around each other. It didn’t last long, for Louis dashed by, told them off, and smacked Niall on the back of the head, before continuing on as if nothing had happened.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn and Niall looked after Louis, then broke into giggles, clutching at each other and Shawn felt Niall relax under his hands. He pressed a kiss to Niall’s temple, and they left the restaurant hand in hand, letting Louis, Liam, Zayn, and Harry get on with their work.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Anyone else wanting to go spend a weekend at Niall's inn? I could really go for some time away. What a year!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Chapter 13</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>We're just over halfway there and I can't believe Christmas is less than two weeks away! I'd love to hear what everyone is doing to celebrate? We're staying home and skyping as much family as we can and I'm attempting to roast a duck. :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“I have a proposition for you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zayn’s eyebrows flew to his hairline. “Oh? What sort of proposition would that be?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He couldn’t help but grin at the eager look on Liam’s face. He wasn’t sure how flirtatious to be, or even how flirtatious he </span>
  <em>
    <span>wanted</span>
  </em>
  <span> to be, but he found, after their first night at the inn, he couldn’t help but be drawn to Liam… especially after Liam had shared the song he was working on with him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zayn had gone to bed both nights since with their kiss playing over and over like a movie reel in his mind. He’d hardly slept, vacillating between berating himself for not kissing Liam again and congratulating himself on protecting himself from what would surely crash and burn. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But it all dissolved when he saw Liam at breakfast. It was busy and bustling with Liam and Louis’s entire crew. Niall and Shawn's restaurant staff ran about refreshing the continental breakfast and offering everyone tea or coffee. Niall had stood by the fireplace with a cup of coffee in his hand, looking like he might burst into tears any second. Harry had, of course, become immediate friends with everyone on the crew, and Louis practically had to pull him away from a conversation about ankle boots to actually eat something for breakfast. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zayn had joined them at the table for four that Harry and Louis had occupied. The three of them had chatted happily for a few moments, when Liam walked up, his casual confidence nearly taking Zayn’s breath away. Liam had grinned at him, sat down in the chair between Zayn and Louis, and had asked for Zayn to pass the basket of biscuits with a small, tentative smile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They’d hardly been apart for the rest of the morning. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now, the restaurant and stage were quiet. Louis and Liam believed in frequent and consistent breaks, and Louis had jumped at Harry’s idea for a meditation break before the last part of the day, ushering most of the crew back to their rooms for a bit of zen and naps before the last two hours of work. Niall and Shawn were in the lobby, hunched together over the computer. And Liam and Zayn had stayed, tinkering around on the piano, Liam on the bench and Zayn leaning over his shoulder and occasionally scribbling something down on blank sheet music. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think we should do this song as a duet,” Liam said. “The one about counting your blessings. We’d keep it simple, just a piano and a guitar and us. So much else in the show is flashy choreography, or big music numbers, but this little break in the middle to remind us of the simple things could be nice, you know?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Liam had rattled off his proposition breathlessly, but Zayn was nodding halfway through. It was a great idea. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’d love to,” Zayn replied. “I do love a ballad.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know,” Liam said, immediately turning beet red and looking intently at the piano keys. “You and Harry played beautifully last night.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was Zayn’s turn to feel his face heat up. Harry could take praise easily, gracefully. Zayn always felt he was accepting compliments like an elephant in a china shop. Basically, he would attempt to bypass them entirely. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We could keep the lighting really simple too,” Zayn said, moving the conversation away from compliments and towards more solid talking points. “Maybe just a spotlight or something?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Liam hummed, trilling a few notes on the piano. “I like it.” He flashed a heart-stopping grin towards Zayn, playing aimlessly with a chord progression. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How are the other numbers going?” Zayn asked. He’d seen what looked like a girl group practicing some choreography earlier, and he’d even seen Liam and Louis rehearsing what looked like an opening number of some sorts. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Liam was about to reply when the tell-tale sounds of the returning crew rumbled from the stairs. Liam glanced between the lobby and Zayn before nodding to himself. He closed the piano and stood. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Want to take a walk?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zayn nodded, surprised, but walked out the back door as the restaurant filled once again with crew. They walked through the rose garden and towards the path around a man-made lake behind the inn. Zayn stuffed his hands in his pockets. It wasn’t cold, but he could feel the warmth radiating off Liam’s arms. He’d reach out to hold Liam’s hand if he wasn’t careful.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The other performances are moving along well,” Liam said after a few moments of silence. It wasn’t uncomfortable by any means, but Zayn was still curious about the other acts. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The opening bit with you and Louis looks great,” Zayn said. “From what I saw of it.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Liam chuckled. “We’re really tapping into our old roots with that one. A bit of monologue, a bit of singing, I even got Louis to do some choreography. It’s been ages since we’ve done anything like that.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I guess as a producer, you’re probably too busy to perform much anymore,” Zayn remarked, watching a bird land on the water with graceful ease. The ripples fanned away from the bird, the only movement in an otherwise calm landscape.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” Liam said. “I’m glad we get to do a bit more. The other acts are so involved… you’d think a seven-part show wouldn’t be a lot of work, but it is.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zayn snorted. “A seven-part show sounds </span>
  <em>
    <span>intimidating</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Li.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Liam shrugged bashfully. “I can’t even blame Louis for that. He comes up with ideas and I sometimes run with them too much.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zayn laughed. “You know, that reminds me of Harry actually. Once he gets going, he’s off creating something with no holds barred. He’s always been like that.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Liam hummed. “Maybe they should work on an act for the show together.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think they’d prefer to get together romantically if the looks Harry is throwing Louis’s way are any indication,” Zayn replied with a snort. They thought they were subtle, but Harry wouldn’t know subtlety if it hit him in the head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Although, Louis was a good guy. It’s not like Zayn would stop watching out for Harry if he got a partner, but… it would be nice to know someone like Louis had Harry’s back. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Not that Harry really needed anyone watching out for him. Zayn just felt very protective. They were best friends. They’d grown up together. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zayn grimaced internally, remembering a particular lecture from Gemma where she told him he needed to let Harry go and live his own life without worrying about Harry so much. And he wanted to, he really did. He and Gemma had protected Harry from bullies their whole growing up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They came to a stop by a bench, Zayn gesturing for them to sit. They sat close together, thigh to thigh. Zayn linked his fingers in his lap. He knew they probably should get back to work, but even despite the lack of snow, the lake was beautiful. Peaceful, quiet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can you imagine this place with snow?” Liam asked, as if able to read Zayn’s mind. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zayn hummed. “I hope we can see it. It’d be beautiful.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t grow up with a lot of snow,” Liam said. “Seattle is pretty rainy and grey all winter long. Beautiful during the summer, but pretty dismal in the winter. I was in the mountains in Colorado visiting some family when I was twenty. It was my first white Christmas. Anytime I get to see it, I get excited.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I grew up in Boston,” Zayn said. “You wouldn’t believe the winters. It was an off-year if we </span>
  <em>
    <span>didn’t</span>
  </em>
  <span> have a white Christmas.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We got snowed in there last year,” Liam said with a cheeky grin. “I’d never leave my house. Driving in snow is crazy.” His eyes were wide, and the look on his face bubbled up emotions within him that Zayn hadn’t felt in years.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zayn laughed, his shoulders shaking. “Haven’t you ever heard of four-wheel drive?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure, but snow and rain are different,” Liam said, gesturing enthusiastically. “You have to think differently. I have a damp Seattle heart.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zayn shook his head fondly. “Of all the things we could talk about, this is not what I imagined we’d land on. Driving in weather.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Liam laughed too. “What did you imagine us talking about?” He was looking at Zayn differently now, curious, open, and a little bit fond. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zayn shrugged. “Music. Marvel. Art. Any number of other things that didn’t involve precipitation.” </span>
  <em>
    <span>Everything.</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>They shared an amused smile. Zayn looked down at his hands for a moment, then looked back at Liam. He was met with that same look: curious, open, fond. It made Zayn’s heart do cartwheels. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why are you looking at me like that?” Zayn asked softly. He had a hunch he knew the answer, but he wanted to hear it from Liam. He liked listening to Liam.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Liam shrugged. “I like talking with you. No matter what we’re talking about.” He responded just as softly as Zayn, as if holding their conversation with gentle hands and a careful grip. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zayn looked at Liam from under his eyelashes. “Even if it’s about the weather?” His gaze fell to Liam’s lips. Damn, he wanted to kiss him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Liam chuckled, licking his lips. Zayn swallowed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, even if it’s about the weather,” Liam said, so softly now Zayn barely heard him. He wasn’t moving towards Zayn at all, but Zayn could read something in his eyes. Some sort of longing that tugged at Zayn’s heart and led him right to Liam’s lips. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zayn kept the kiss gentle, tame, just a simple press of lips on lips. Liam let him lead, not backing down but not taking over either. Zayn would have doubted Liam’s enthusiasm if it wasn’t for the way Liam had reached out for Zayn’s hands, tangling their fingers together, gripping his own with a steady firmness. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They kissed for a few moments, before Zayn pulled back, his hands still in Liam’s. He didn’t look up at Liam right away, their foreheads resting together for a moment, before looking each other in the eye.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That was… nice,” Liam said, both of them somehow breathless. Liam’s eyes were shining and Zayn could only imagine what he must look like if he felt as intoxicated as Liam looked. It made Zayn wonder what it would be like to kiss Liam more thoroughly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zayn smiled at Liam. “I know I said earlier that we should go slow but I’ve been thinking about kissing you again since the other night.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Liam nodded, his face splitting into a grin. “Me too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He tugged gently on Zayn’s hands, leaning towards him halfway, then stopping. It was a question, for more, for depth, for connection. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zayn thought for a moment that maybe he should leave Liam and walk back to the restaurant. That Liam was bound to disappoint him and Zayn needed to watch over Harry instead. That Zayn couldn’t have something like this now. Anything but kiss him again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He ignored those thoughts. They had no place in this moment and anyways, Liam’s lips were calling to him. Zayn closed his eyes and leant in close, letting his heart answer the call. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Don't forget to comment! </p><p>And if you want to share the masterpost, find it <a href="https://iamasphodelknox.tumblr.com/post/635240986517372928/title-ideal-an-advent-story-author-asphodelknox">here</a>. :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Chapter 14</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Harry and Louis's shenanigans start to get a little deeper. Oh, the fluff and pining!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Harry sidled up to Louis as they led the crew back to the restaurant to get back to work. He leaned in close and Louis grinned to himself, already anticipating what Harry was going to tell him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you see what I saw?” Harry whispered, pointing towards the back door of the restaurant, swinging shut behind Liam and Zayn. Harry was smirking like a cat who got the cream. Louis didn’t blame him. Ever since their first night at the Inn, Liam and Zayn had been inseparable. It gave Louis hope. Maybe he’d finally get a chance to work on his novel. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And spend more time with Harry.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Louis grinned. “We might not have to work as hard as we thought.” He did a little leap and Harry laughed, grabbing Louis’s wrists to pull him over to a table. Louis ignored the curious looks from his crew, focusing instead on Harry. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“God, I hope they’re into each other,” Harry said, stretching his long legs underneath the table to tap into Louis’s feet. He knocked the sides of their shoes together. “Zayn definitely wasn’t sleeping well last night. I heard his door open and close a few times.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Louis nodded. Liam had been acting strange too, like Louis hadn’t seen in years. He was focused and thorough as usual, but Louis had caught the glances at Zayn when Zayn wasn’t looking. Liam had even pitched the idea of him and Zayn doing a duet together and Louis had agreed excitedly, while internally freaking out and wanting to run and tell Harry. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He hadn’t exactly meant to spend so much time with Harry. It just happened, between trying to pair up Liam and Zayn, to their shared love of musicals and romcoms, to the way they had been able to write a whole new song when Jade had told them they couldn’t get the rights to use a particular Christmas song. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Being with Harry was just… nice. Louis hadn’t felt this at ease with anyone aside from Liam and his mother in ages. He felt he could wholly be himself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Liam hasn’t been sleeping either, but that could also be chalked up to working on a big project,” Louis said. “To think I could actually write my book.” He rubbed his eyes, grinning at his palms. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Will you tell me what it’s about?” Harry asked, knocking the side of Louis’s foot again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not yet,” Louis said. “I don’t even have an outline. But you’ll be one of the first I tell.” He knocked Harry’s foot. “Besides, we’ve got to get through </span>
  <em>
    <span>Home With You </span>
  </em>
  <span>first.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry grinned, looking around the room. “You have a really incredible team, Lou.” Harry had slipped into the nickname without either of them noticing but Louis wasn’t going to complain. Whatever this was between him and Harry, he planned to ride it out and see where it went. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not everyone in show biz is awful,” Louis said, smiling knowingly. “Have you heard from Cowell at all?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry shook his head, playing with one of the rings on his hands. “I think he tried to call Zayn last night, and we both got a vaguely threatening email this morning, but we’re just ignoring it. He thinks we’re road tripping to Boston to spend the holidays with Zayn’s family.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Louis raised his eyebrows. “He doesn’t know you’re here?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not as long we use our own credit cards and don’t put anything on the company dime,” Harry said with a shrug. “We just have to get to New Year’s. The contract runs out then, we’ve fulfilled our end of it, and we won’t let Cowell pressure us into signing again.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Louis nodded thoughtfully. “What do you want to do? Once you’re out from under him?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry sat back in his chair, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. He sighed, running a hand through his hair. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know Zayn wants to find somewhere to buy a home, maybe work on some of the contacts we’ve made over the years to write his own stuff and sell his own songs.” Harry bit his lip. “He wants to move back to Boston I think, be closer to family.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What about you?” Louis asked. The bit of footsie under the table was really getting out of hand at this point. Not that Louis minded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I want to travel on my own, actually see the places we’ve traveled to the past few years,” Harry said. “And I want to work on my own music. I know I want to tour in the future, but I think mostly I want time to make an album of my own. Something that’s true and doesn’t belong to someone else.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s how I feel about my novel,” Louis said. “I love working with Liam, but sometimes you have a story to tell that’s only yours.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“At least until it gets out in the world and people start interacting with it,” Harry said. “I think I’d just sob if people covered songs I wrote.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Louis could understand. Knowing people were influenced enough by something you created was a heady feeling. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Hey Angel</span>
  </em>
  <span> and </span>
  <em>
    <span>Little Black Dress</span>
  </em>
  <span> had impressive fan artists. He and Liam had both received a copy of an art book, entirely produced by a fan of </span>
  <em>
    <span>Little Black Dress</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Louis kept his copy on the coffee table at his apartment in New York.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He and Harry sat at the table chatting, occasionally being interrupted by Jade or one of the other crew members asking a question or needing a piece of direction. Liam and Zayn eventually came back, and Harry and Louis exchanged a glance at how glowy they looked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Have a nice walk?” Louis asked as Liam and Zayn sat down at their table. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Have you been out to the lake yet?” Zayn asked, avoiding the question. “I can see how this place would be gorgeous covered in snow.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If we’re lucky we might get snow on Christmas Eve,” Liam said. “The weather forecast keeps saying it’s supposed to get colder.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you stay warm enough by the lake?” Harry asked, looking thoroughly devious. Louis wanted to kiss him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You two might need to take a walk there yourselves,” Zayn said, gesturing to Harry and Louis. “Find your own way to stay warm.” The look Zayn gave them was </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> innocent.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry turned red and Louis cleared his throat. Liam smirked at Zayn, looking at him like Zayn hung the moon, the stars, and the sky. Louis would have burst out laughing if he hadn’t just been put on the spot. Liam, the sneaky bastard.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Well… it seemed Louis and Harry weren’t the only ones playing matchmaker at this particular Inn. Louis found he couldn’t particularly care. Not when Harry was playing footsie with him under the table and Louis was feeling more like himself than he had in a year.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Chapter 15</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Welp... here's where the angst tag starts to show up. I promise it's short-lived. All is well. Please don't hate me. :P</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Shawn clicked back to the weather forecast on his computer, sighing for what felt like the seventeenth time that hour. The crew was starting to trickle out of the restaurant, heading to their rooms after a long day’s work. He could hear Zayn and Harry finishing up their last song in the background. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The weather report still forecasted snow, but the thermometer on the back porch still only read fifty-five degrees. Shawn was skeptical. At least the animals didn’t have to worry about being cold. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He glanced into the restaurant. Niall and a few of their seasonal staff were clearing the last of the tables, sweeping the floors, and the kitchen crew was bound to be heading home soon. Liam and Louis had stepped onto the stage to chat with Harry and Zayn. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn let out another sigh, this one more relieved than the last seventeen. At least they could hire back their seasonal staff. Out of habit, he opened up their finances on the computer, clicking through the pages of the spreadsheet. Having this many people in the rooms, plus the money from the restaurant, plus the cost of renting the stage, would put them almost in the green by the end of the year. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Niall would be thrilled. Shawn hadn’t seen him this at ease and in his element in several months. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As if he knew Shawn was thinking of him, Niall walked out of the restaurant and behind the counter, kissing Shawn on the lips. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whatcha looking at, Shawnie?” He asked, exuberant and carefree. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn grinned. “Just our finances. They’re looking good.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Niall smiled wide as if it could break his face. “I just can’t believe it.” He shook his head incredulously. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Someone on the crew must have posted something on social media,” Shawn said. “We already have January and February booked through.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Niall kissed Shawn on the cheek again. “I can sleep easy tonight, love. Ready for bed?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Almost. You go up, I’ll be there in a few minutes,” Shawn said, waving his hands at the door to their apartment. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t turn this into a role reversal where I pull you to bed at three in the morning for working too hard,” Niall said with a teasing wag of his finger. He bounded through the door and up the stairs to their apartment, leaving Shawn to lock up the doors. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Louis, Harry, and Zayn walked by the front desk, each bidding Shawn goodnight in turn. Liam trailed behind them, poking at his phone. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Everyone cleared out of the restaurant?” Shawn asked Liam. Louis, Harry, and Zayn continued up the stairs, but Liam paused. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Liam nodded. “Yep. It’s a great space, you know. I’m surprised you don’t get more movies wanting to film here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn chuckled. “That might be too much business for us, but I doubt Niall would mind.” He closed the restaurant doors and locked them behind him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you mind if I make a call down here?” Liam asked as Shawn walked to the front door. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not at all,” Shawn said, locking the front door, but leaving the lamp on as usual. “Have a good night.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Liam nodded, turning to his phone and walking over to the couches by the Christmas tree. Shawn went back to the front desk to shut down the computer, closing the planner he had opened, as Liam’s voice rumbled through the lobby. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn was checking the weather report one more time when something Liam said caught his ear:</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah Nick, we want to bring up the whole gang,” Liam was saying to whoever he was talking to on the phone. “I want to put a call out, see if we can get everyone here as a surprise for Niall. Things haven’t been going well with this inn he owns and I thought we could do a little segment of the show for him with the old gang. I was hoping to come and do a bit on your Youtube show the day after tomorrow to announce </span>
  <em>
    <span>Home With You</span>
  </em>
  <span> and mention the firefighters from our college days. Most of the guys watch if I remember right. Hopefully, they’ll get the message and hightail it to Vermont.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn paused, curious. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Surprise for Niall</span>
  </em>
  <span>? Liam paused, listening to this Nick he was talking to.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure, yeah, we’ll pull some heartstrings, talk about the inn, ask the old firefighting gang to come to the inn as a surprise. It’ll be a great angle for the show. Everyone loves a sob story with a happy ending. If we can get Niall in front of the camera, it’ll be the perfect touch.” </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>A sob story with a happy ending</span>
  </em>
  <span>? Shawn frowned. Is that all Liam and Louis thought this was? That the inn and Niall and Shawn’s lack of success with it was a sob story that they could fix? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>That couldn’t be right. Niall said they were good people, that they’d had each other’s backs, saved each other’s lives, and whatnot. Surely, Liam and Louis didn’t do everything as a way to make money or gain publicity? Helping out Niall would certainly make Liam and Louis </span>
  <em>
    <span>look</span>
  </em>
  <span> good. Shawn’s mind battled with him. Fame could do all sorts of things to your sense of consideration. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And what did Liam mean about asking the other ex-firefighters to come to the inn? To put Niall on the spot like that as a failed innkeeper, needing saving from his rich and famous producer friends?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn walked through the door to their apartment, shutting it firmly behind him. He paused to take a deep breath at the bottom of the stairs. He was livid. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>How could Niall’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>friends</span>
  </em>
  <span> toss him to the dogs like that? Make him a spectacle and shove him in a spotlight without his permission? Without him even knowing? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Niall had worked so hard. The problems with the inn weren’t his fault. It was mostly due to circumstances beyond their control—like the weather and old debts of his grandfather’s. Putting Niall up on a show as if he was making mistakes or down on his luck would humiliate him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn hadn’t seen Niall this happy in months. Being forced in front of a camera to talk about almost losing the inn wasn’t something Shawn ever wanted to see Niall subjected to. He couldn’t let the love of his life go walking into the fire like that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn gave his head a shake. He had to be wrong. There must be something he was missing. Shawn glanced up the stairs, wondering if he should go back out and talk to Liam or wait till the morning. He sighed, turned, and opened the door back to the lobby. He’d get answers from Liam and put him straight. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn walked out to an empty lobby. Liam had gone to bed. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Buckle up buttercups. Tomorrow, Zayn hears about Liam's conversation.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Chapter 16</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>It's all gonna be okay, I promise. DOn't hate me. I only write happy endings, I swear!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Zayn slowly made his way down the stairs and into the lobby. He could hear the sounds of the restaurant as he descended the stairs. Crazy people, he thought. Who could even be awake for breakfast at 7am? Harry was always an early bird, up and ready to tackle the day before Zayn was even fully awake. Zayn preferred his sleep, thank you very much.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He supposed most of the team was up early to get ready for the party that evening. Niall was throwing a celebratory party for the whole crew and had brought in the restaurant staff early especially for the event. Zayn could appreciate the excitement. The show was almost finished and there was a dress rehearsal tomorrow before the actual live streaming on Christmas Eve. Jade had organized a group to finish up the decorations which looked amazing and the set was starting to fully come together. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was all very exciting. Not to mention he was still pretty blissed out from his walk with Liam the day before. He hadn’t meant to kiss Liam, but Zayn found he couldn’t help it. Here was a man who didn’t expect anything from Zayn, just accepted him as he was, weird hobbies and crazy lyric ideas and all. He and Liam had planned to rehearse their song after breakfast and Zayn could hardly wait.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He just needed coffee first.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luckily, Shawn and Niall ran a five-star inn and there was a small coffee and tea stand by the couch in the lobby. Zayn didn’t even need to go all the way into the restaurant. He could get his fix right here. Coffee first, then breakfast.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was just taking his first few sips, when Shawn walked up to him, looking unsure. Zayn frowned. Shawn was clasping his fingers tightly, running his hands together like he was getting up the courage to say something. This couldn’t be good.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shawn, are you alright?” Zayn asked. Shawn nodded, though Zayn wasn’t convinced. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can I ask you about something? About the show?” Shawn sounded breathless and croaky, and on closer inspection, he looked like he’d hardly slept a wink. There were bags under his eyes and he was looking… twitchy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zayn nodded and sat on the couch, beckoning Shawn to sit too. Shawn sat stiffly, looking around the lobby and into the restaurant. It was just the two of them on the sofa. The rest of the lobby was empty. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost or something,” Zayn said as he took a sip of his coffee. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I…” Shawn started, then swallowed hard. “I overheard Liam having a phone call last night. I was shutting down the computer and Liam was by the tree. I didn’t mean to overhear but…” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He trailed off, tapping his fingers against his knee.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But what?” Zayn asked, giving Shawn an encouraging smile. He took another sip of coffee as insurance. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you know that Liam and Louis are planning to bring in the rest of their firefighting team? Getting Niall in front of the camera and talking about the troubles the inn has been having and how things are better now?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zayn felt as if a cold bucket of water had dropped over him. He should have had coffee earlier.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh...no, he didn’t mention that to me,” Zayn said. “I mean, he said they wanted to see if they could get some of their old firefighting friends to come to be in the audience. I didn’t hear about putting Niall on the spot. Are you sure that’s what he said?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn looked grim. “He called Niall a sob story with a happy ending.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zayn gaped at him. “What?! Are you sure?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn nodded. “I’ll talk to Liam about it too… I don’t want Niall to feel like he’s a spectacle or like he’s being used to make Liam and Louis look good.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They didn’t seem like the types who would do something like that,” Zayn said, his heart skipping beats in his chest. He felt shell-shocked. How could he have read Liam so wrong?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t think so either,” Shawn said. “I hope I’m wrong.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn stood as another group of people came down the stairs and walked back to the front desk, leaving Zayn on the couch, feeling bamboozled. He felt off his game the rest of the morning. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t his proudest moment, but he avoided Liam all morning, opting instead to rehearse with Harry and work on some of their new songs, pushing his rehearsal with Liam to after lunch. It wasn’t his best work, but it kept his mind off Liam for a bit at least. He tried not to let the wounded look on Liam’s face get to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>To his credit, Liam left him alone for the morning. Zayn wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Did Liam know Zayn was upset? Was Liam clueless about why Zayn was upset? Was Liam just moving about his life, thinking that singling out Niall, and painting him as a failure was totally fine? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And what about Zayn? Zayn had truly thought Liam was a good person. How could Liam just… </span>
  <em>
    <span>act</span>
  </em>
  <span> like he was a good person when he went around making objects of people’s troubles? Zayn really liked him. He’d thought… well, it didn’t matter what he’d thought. He’d obviously been wrong about Liam.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zayn was almost to a boiling point after lunch. Harry asked if he was alright, obviously concerned when Zayn’s gruff and brisk manner had lasted the whole morning but Zayn brushed him off. He tried to take deep breaths like Harry always told him to, but as he walked to the piano where Liam sat tinkering at the keys, he found he just didn’t want to deal with the whole thing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey,” Liam greeted him with a smile. “I played around with a new chord progression this morning. I thought we could try it out today.” He was perfectly chipper, which just made Zayn more upset. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You get off on deciding things for other people?” Zayn asked without preamble. He knew he was being rude but he almost didn’t care. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Liam’s grin faltered. “Uh… we can stick to the original chord change if you want. I just...thought it might be fun to try.” He looked wounded, concerned, and Zayn just didn’t want to handle it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not about the chord change, Liam,” Zayn said sharply. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Liam blinked at him and Zayn almost apologized at the confused look on his face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m… Zayn, what’s wrong? Did I do something?” Liam asked quietly. “I… we don’t have to do the song if you don’t…” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t,” Zayn said shortly. Liam looked up at Zayn, obviously hurt, but nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“All… alright,” Liam said. “Will you tell me what I did?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zayn huffed. “You know what you did.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn’t stick around to see the look on Liam’s face. He turned on his feet and bolted out of the restaurant, out the back door, and walked quickly towards the lake, not stopping till he was sitting on the same bench he’d kissed Liam on the day before. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>None of it made sense. How could Liam and Louis do that? For once, Zayn thought he’d found someone who he could actually care for, without fear or uncertainty. Could he trust </span>
  <em>
    <span>anyone</span>
  </em>
  <span>? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He dropped his head to his hands, feeling more forlorn than he had in a year. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I really do promise.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Chapter 17</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>We take a break from the angst for more shenanigans...</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Louis watched Zayn leave the stage in a huff, leaving Liam looking forlorn and hurt. Before Louis could go to Liam and ask what happened, Liam was striding back to the lobby and up the stairs. Louis looked between the back door and the door to the lobby like he was watching a tennis match. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>What the hell just happened?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Louis glanced around the room. Most of his staff had been otherwise occupied; from what Louis could tell, no one else had noticed Liam and Zayn marching away from each other in angry huffs. He met Harry’s eye across the room. Harry shrugged, equally confused. At least Harry had paid attention too. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Louis frowned to himself. He hadn’t seen Liam react like that in years. Not since a big name corporation had tried to sign them on to direct a franchise, without the freedom to tell the story the best way. Liam had left that meeting in a huff too. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But what could Zayn have said that made Liam so… </span>
  <em>
    <span>hurt</span>
  </em>
  <span>? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry walked up to him, his long stride sure and purposeful. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you see?” Harry asked without preamble. Louis nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know what happened,” Louis said. “They were getting along so well.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The two of them walked out to the lobby in unison, as if they could sense each other’s intent to have a more private conversation. They sat down on the couch next to the Christmas tree. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know Zayn hasn’t been sleeping well,” Harry said. “The bags under his eyes have been pretty bad. Plus he didn’t eat breakfast today, and picked at his lunch.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Louis hummed. “Liam didn’t sleep either. He’s eating though, I’ve never seen anything stop him from eating.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They’ve got to like each other right?” Harry said. “We’re not blind.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Louis scoffed. “Unless we’re really bad matchmakers.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We didn’t really have much influence with them though,” Harry said. “Think about it, aside from meeting us at the bar a few days ago and coming with us here, Liam and Zayn have gravitated toward each other without our help.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry was right. Liam and Zayn had seemed to orbit to one another simply because of who they were. They were infatuated right off the bat. All Louis and Harry did was give them a friendly shove in the right direction.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you think Zayn would put a stop to something he really wanted?” Louis asked. “Like to protect himself or something?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry shrugged. “Possibly. He’s always felt protective of me. Between George and getting bullied a lot as a kid, I think Zayn has felt like he has to make sure I don’t get hurt.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“At the expense of his own future?” Louis asked incredulously. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry nodded. “A few people thought he was in love with me when we were younger. He never was, he just gets attached to his people. He’s a quality over quantity person when it comes to his friends.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But has he been in relationships or anything?” Louis asked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A few, but none of them stuck. I think he has a tendency to push people away before he can truly trust them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Liam is the most trustworthy person I know,” Louis said thoughtfully. “It’s got to be some simple misunderstanding.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re very insightful for a producer.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Louis shrugged. “I have to be. I work with lots of different kinds of people. You wouldn't believe people’s motivations for shit.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They sat in silence for a few moments, Harry biting his lip in thought and Louis wiggling his knee. Finally, Harry spoke, a conniving smirk slowly sneaking onto his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What if all they need is another push in the right direction?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Louis was skeptical. “What do you mean?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What if Zayn just needs to know that I’m okay? That I’ve moved on from George and he’s free to stop worrying about me so much. Maybe that would make him feel less guilty about George.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sure that would help,” Louis said, “but how are you going to do that?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I dunno,” Harry shrugged nonchalantly, but he was looking at Louis calculatingly. “Find some hot guy to be my fake boyfriend for a bit.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Louis raised his eyebrows. “You think that would work?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It would definitely show Zayn that he doesn’t need to worry about me so much,” Harry said. “He could at least give himself time to figure out what he wants for himself rather than being tied to me. Then you get time to write your book and I get time to write my own music.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Louis nodded thoughtfully. “And who’s going to be this fake hot boyfriend of yours? You can’t just pick someone from the crew.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He trailed off at the way Harry was looking at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His stomach did somersaults and his heart fluttered. Harry meant </span>
  <em>
    <span>Louis</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Immediately, Louis wanted to say yes without hesitation, but his brain shouted at him that he was being an idiot. These things never ended well, did they?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Harry,” Louis’s voice broke, “Harry, I’m not sure that’s a good idea. Could we even pull it off?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His brain tossed him images of actually getting to hold hands with Harry and to kiss him and </span>
  <em>
    <span>act like his boyfriend</span>
  </em>
  <span> and Louis was surprised his heart didn’t river dance right out of his chest. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But who was he kidding? He was happy to push Liam into a relationship, but damn it if Louis wasn’t scared stiff thinking about entering one himself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’d only mention it to them if it’s absolutely necessary,” Harry said with a too-casual shrug that had Louis wonder if he was the only one freaking out internally. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Besides, we get along well, we have fun together, right?” Harry asked, leaning in close and conspiratorially. Half of Louis wanted to run away and half of Louis wanted to lean back into Harry’s space, get up in his face and see just how far they could take this whole fake relationship thing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I mean, yes, but I feel the same way about my cocker spaniel,” Louis replied, his nerves and indecision trickling out of his body through his wiggling fingers and bouncing knee. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You have a cocker spaniel?” Harry asked, momentarily confused. If anything it only endeared him to Louis more.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, Haz, but if I had a dog, that’s the one I’d pick.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry gave him a fond, but knowing stare. “Lou, don’t you think that’s beside the point?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Louis sighed, glancing up at Harry. It wouldn’t be that bad; pretending to be in a fake relationship with a guy he was massively attracted to. What could go wrong? This sort of thing happened in the movies all the time. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He ignored the voice in his head telling him that this felt like landing in a ridiculous holiday movie and that they may even end up together when it’s over. He also ignored the voice telling him he and Harry would be great together. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“...only if it’s absolutely necessary?” Louis asked, with a willing hesitance, spurred by the warring in his mind. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Absolutely necessary,” Harry said, looking perfectly satisfied. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Louis nodded, looking down at his hands, trying to contain the smile spreading across his face. He didn’t want to seem more excited than was appropriate… though to be fair, what the fuck was appropriate about being in a fake relationship with a guy you were attracted to in an effort to inspire mutual friends into their own relationship? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shook his head to himself and turned to Harry. “Did Liam tell you about our surprise for Niall?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“About bringing your old firefighting buddies to the inn?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Louis nodded. “We’re going to feature a bit of the story about how Liam and I partnered up, and mention that Niall runs this inn and just show the old gang in the audience, cheering or something. Nothing big, there’ll probably be more of a reunion after the show, but we want to feature a bit about why we picked the inn.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because it’s owned by a friend?” Harry asked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, exactly. We’re not going to mention the financial troubles or anything, just show off the inn a bit, and talk about Christmas as something that brings people back together.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry hummed, leaning back on the couch, putting his arms along the back of it. “I really like that. It’ll be a nice personal touch to the whole show.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Louis leaned back tentatively, relief and giddiness washing over him as Harry’s arm came to rest across his shoulders. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s gonna be a good show, Harry,” Louis said, pushing aside his worries about Liam and Zayn. “I can feel it.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hang in there and tell me how you're feeling in the comments!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Chapter 18</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Angst from a bird's eye view.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The restaurant was chaotic, flickering, and buzzing with Shawn and Niall at the center of it. Or rather, standing at a bar table at the far side of the restaurant, but still. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Surrounded by their guests, Liam and Louis’s crew, the restaurant was sparkling like it hadn’t been in some time. The stage had been finished, so the whole room was decked out in Christmas lights, trees, tinsel, and every manner of glittering happiness that could exist in one space. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I remember when I was a kid,” Niall said, standing close to Shawn, one arm around his waist, “Grandpa would throw a Christmas party like this. He’d invite the whole family, all his friends, even the locals he didn’t particularly like. He always said it was his favorite part of the year.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn grinned. “Maybe we should make it a tradition,” he swayed into Naill, letting himself just relax against his boyfriend’s chest. They swayed to the music like that, just being near each other, back to front. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn gazed around at the festivities. Harry and Louis were the life of the party, fluttering from person to person, chatting up everyone they could, and spreading cheer and laughs in their wake. They were hand in hand, hardly leaving each other’s sides. An interesting development but Shawn was glad for them. Niall had said just the night before that Louis had been scared stiff of relationships. It looked like Harry had broken through Louis’s defenses.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>What was stranger though, was Liam and Zayn. From what Shawn could tell, they’d seemed pretty close since they’d arrived, but they’d had some sort of spat after lunch and were now sitting at opposite ends of the restaurant. Liam sat on the stage, tinkering around on the piano, looking forlorn. Zayn was sitting in the lobby, mostly ignoring the party going on just feet away from him.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Honestly, it felt like a game of tennis. A very painful game of tennis. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He was still worried about Naill being put on the spot, but when Shawn had asked Liam about it earlier that evening, Liam had said they wanted to feature the inn and Niall as one of their friends and tell the story that inspired Liam and Louis’s first hit Fireproof. It wasn’t half as malicious as Shawn thought, and he was relieved. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He watched as Harry and Louis split up. Harry walked over to Zayn, and the two began what looked like a heated whisper battle, both of them waving their hands ferociously. Louis meanwhile, was sitting with Liam at the piano, the two of them not really talking. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It reminded Shawn of his first few months at the inn. He’d loved having the job but he loved the people watching even more. People did crazy things when they didn’t think people were observing them. Niall’s grandpa had some crazy stories… he hoped he and Niall would too in their old age.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ni, do you know if anything is going on with Liam and Zayn?” Shawn asked. “They haven’t talked since lunch.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, no,” Niall said. “Was there stuff going on?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn couldn’t help but roll his eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Liam and Zayn were practically inseparable yesterday, but now they won’t even look at each other,” Shawn said. He gestured to the dance floor, where Louis and Harry had both dragged unenthusiastic Zayn and reluctant Liam. Shawn laughed out loud as he watched Louis and Harry pull a maneuver, not so fancy as it was ridiculous, that left Zayn and Liam dancing together and Harry and Louis doing a very poor job of hiding their curiosity, watching Liam and Zayn rather than dance themselves. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Damn,” Niall muttered under his breath. Shawn echoed the sentiment as they watched Zayn turn sharply on his heel, deserting a helpless looking Liam in his wake. Liam also turned, much less sharply, and shuffled off the dance floor. Harry and Louis watched them leave, matching disappointment on their faces. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A very painful game of tennis. Or a sitcom, depending on how it all ended. Shawn sincerely hoped it was a sitcom.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Louis and Harry exchanged a look, and Shawn watched Harry say something, and Louis nod. He heard Niall gasp behind him as Louis kissed Harry’s cheek and walked up on stage. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you see that coming?” Niall whispered, as the music quieted down and someone handed Louis a mic. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn didn’t have time to respond or point out that Harry and Louis had been holding hands all evening before Louis started talking. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, thank you, everyone, for being here tonight,” he started. There were some cheers from the crowd. “The best things really do happen when you’re dancing or singing, or creating amazing content with such an amazing crew. Liam and I just want to thank you all for your hard work. We know it was a lot of schedules to flip around, but we couldn’t imagine a better place to host this show. Let’s give Niall Horan and Shawn Mendes a round of applause for letting us take over their entire inn!” Louis started clapping, and the party clapped, with a few whoops thrown in for good measure. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We also want to thank Harry Styles and Zayn Malik for jumping in as a part of our show and for helping us get this idea off the ground,” Louis continued. “I know I’m better off for having met them, especially Harry.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn and Niall and the rest of the party gaped at the look Louis and Harry shared. Had he missed how in love they looked? They’d certainly seemed fond of each other, but now they were downright adoring. There were a few wolf whistles, which Louis brushed off with a wave of his hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Enjoy yourselves tonight, and remember, you all have tomorrow off before the show on Christmas Eve,” Louis said with a grin. “Until then, have fun, and thank you!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He bounded off the stage, right into Harry’s arms, kissing him soundly on the lips. There were more cheers, more wolf whistles, and Liam was rushing over, shaking Louis and Harry’s hands enthusiastically. Zayn slowly made his way over, talking to Harry, who bowed his head, both of them talking over the music. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn just shook his head, turning to Niall. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m going to go grab the champagne before everyone gets too wasted to appreciate it,” Shawn said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Want help?” Niall asked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn shook his head no, kissing Niall on the cheek instead and making his way back to the kitchen. He pulled the bottles of champagne out of the fridge. The kitchen staff had already set up the trays with champagne flutes that afternoon. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had just popped open a bottle and was starting on the first tray when he heard the door open behind him. Shawn glanced behind him to see Zayn, looking pinched and pained. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You alright?” Shawn asked. It wasn’t his job to pry, but these were Niall’s friends’... friends.  He wanted to make sure they were okay. He hoped they’d all visit more frequently and he couldn’t help but feel like some train was derailing when it came to Zayn and Liam.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zayn didn’t answer, instead asking, “Can I help?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn nodded, gesturing to one of the bottles on the island. Zayn opened it and started on another tray. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Would…,” Zayn started, “would someone be able to drive me to the train station tomorrow? I’m catching the 6 am train to New York.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn stopped pouring champagne, looking at Zayn in shock. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re… leaving?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zayn nodded. “I’m not doing the show anymore,” he said. “I got a gig in New York for tomorrow night.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are… are you sure?” Shawn asked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zayn sighed, sounding as heartbroken as Liam had looked on the dance floor. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not really, but I can’t stay here,” Zayn said. He didn’t elaborate further. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn eventually nodded. “Yeah, we can leave at 5:30. I’ll drive you myself, cause the chauffeur has tomorrow off.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, Shawn,” Zayn said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They finished pouring champagne in silence. All the while, Shawn kept wondering what had gone wrong and how much Liam, Louis, and Harry knew about Zayn’s discontent. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hold on, friends. We're in the home stretch.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0019"><h2>19. Chapter 19</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>One last push. Then it's all uphill from here. :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Zayn snuck out of the inn early the next morning, hopping into Shawn’s truck, fighting the urge to look behind him. He wanted to see if Liam was awake, if maybe he was at his window watching Zayn drive away. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cause apparently when he was moody, Zayn was a gothic-novel heroine. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn didn’t say much or try and engage Zayn in conversation. Zayn was grateful. It had all gone wrong so fast. He wasn’t sure he </span>
  <em>
    <span>could</span>
  </em>
  <span> talk about it, let alone process it all for himself. At least he had a job in New York that night to get his mind off things. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The party the night before had been a whirlwind. After his dramatic exit, Zayn had stayed by the lake until he couldn’t feel his fingers anymore, finally retreating to his room and complaining to himself how if it was going to be </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> cold, it might as well snow. He’d skipped dinner, counting on the appetizers and dessert at the party, and coming down after he knew the party would be in full swing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry had texted him, called, and knocked on his door three times, but Zayn put him off, saying he wasn’t feeling great. He knew Harry wasn’t convinced but it was all Zayn could do to even attend the party. The minute he’d walked through the door and seen Liam, he wanted to burst into tears. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had spent the rest of the night miserable, alone, and growing more and more upset as he watched Liam, in his own corner. And then Harry and Louis suddenly seemed to be together, without Harry even talking to Zayn about it. He was happy for them, he really was. Harry deserved someone great and Louis seemed like a great guy. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’d just… thought the same thing about Liam. And Liam, who had seemed just as upset as Zayn was, hadn’t made any attempts to talk to Zayn or ask him what was wrong. He just let Zayn be and Zayn had found, as he packed his suitcase that morning that he’d </span>
  <em>
    <span>wanted</span>
  </em>
  <span> Liam to ask, or to explain himself. To assure Zayn that he had it all wrong and no one was going to bully Niall or put him on the spot. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>At the very least Zayn knew Shawn wouldn’t let anything happen to Niall. It saved Zayn from having a moral conversation with Liam about whether or not the plan with Niall was a good idea.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Because Zayn wasn’t sure he could stomach a conversation with Liam now. He didn’t want to be let down even more. Besides, their only interaction was that awkward-as-all-hell dancing incident Louis and Harry put them up to. Zayn felt humiliated and objectified and he hated the hurt look on Liam’s face almost as much as he hated Louis and Harry for being so pushy. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’d left the party after helping Shawn pour the champagne. Zayn hated waking up early, but he had places to be and things to move on to. Harry seemed content to work with Louis and Liam and to travel around and write as he’d always wanted. He and Harry weren’t going to be a duo forever. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’d written an old school, handwritten letter to Harry, explaining where he was going and how he’d stay in touch. He knew Harry wouldn’t let him off the hook, but at the very least, Zayn wanted a few hours headstart. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn pulled into the train station parking lot, turning to Zayn after he parked the car. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You sure you’ll be alright?” Shawn asked. “Last night seemed pretty awful for you.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zayn nodded. “I’m not alright right now, but I will be.” He swallowed. “I hope.” He shook his head to himself and pulled out Harry’s letter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can you give this to Harry at breakfast?” Zayn asked as Shawn took the letter. “It explains everything.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn nodded slowly. “I can't help but feel you're making a mistake.” It was a harsh statement, but Shawn said it kindly. Zayn couldn’t begrudge him that. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know what I feel,” Zayn said. “Thanks for driving me.” He got out of the car if only to put an end to the conversation. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn got out and leaned on the driver’s side door, watching Zayn grab his suitcase from the bed of the truck. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Anytime,” Shawn said. “You’re welcome back whenever you want. To perform or just… for a vacation or whatever.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That made Zayn chuckle. At least not everything ended poorly. He shook Shawn’s hand before walking into the tiny station, and to the waiting train. Pine Tree was the first stop of the day, so the train sat ready to go in just a few moments, sleek and black against the grey morning. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zayn was almost to the door of the train when he heard someone shout his name. He turned, his stomach swooping at Liam’s form striding towards him, breathless and cheeks red from the cold. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Perhaps Zayn was a gothic-novel heroine after all. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Zayn,” Liam said, coming to a stop in front of Zayn. He looked bemused and uncertain, and Zayn nodded in greeting. Liam nodded uncomfortably back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’re you…” Liam trailed off, taking in Zayn’s hand on the railing next to the train door, and the suitcase in Zayn’s other hand. His face fell. “You’re leaving.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t a question and it killed Zayn a little to see Liam’s dismay. Zayn nodded. He was too far gone now to change his course. He and Liam could have been great, but like most good things in Zayn’s life… it just wasn't meant to be. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Look,” Liam said, “if this is about our fight yesterday, we can work it out Zayn. I didn’t mean to upset you with the chord change. We can try something...” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The train whistled loudly, startling them both. The ground began to vibrate with the churning of the engine, and Zayn saw the conductors in cars up ahead beginning to close the doors and signal that the train was leaving. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zayn gave Liam an apologetic look. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, Liam,” Zayn said. “I’m sure the show will go great. Tell Louis I said goodbye.” He stepped up onto the train. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Zayn, please don’t leave,” Liam said, looking the most vulnerable Zayn had ever seen him. “I don’t know what I did, but I want to fix it. I… I really care about you...” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zayn almost second-guessed himself right then and there. He felt the urge to abandon his plan and fly down the train steps and into Liam’s arms, forgetting his worries and hearing Liam explain everything. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But at that moment, the conductor walked by, shooing Liam away from the train and shutting the door behind Zayn, effectively cutting him off. The train rumbled and jerked forward, beginning its slow departure from Pine Tree, the clicking of its wheels sounding like the end of something. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zayn flew into the next car, nabbing a seat by the window, looking frantically at the station. Liam was walking next to the train, looking for him. Zayn had a crazy moment of wanting to jump off the moving train, abandon this crazy idea of leaving the show, leaving Harry… leaving Liam. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Liam was jogging now, the train picking up speed. Their eyes locked, Liam waved, and Zayn left Pine Tree feeling like he’d made a massive, massive mistake. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Please don't hate me.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0020"><h2>20. Chapter 20</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Here's comes the fluff... a lot of fluff. We're on the up hill slope now!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>If Louis didn’t know any better, he’d think Liam was about to maul him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The fact was that Louis </span>
  <em>
    <span>did</span>
  </em>
  <span> know better, but that didn’t really help his current predicament. He glanced sideways at Harry who looked equally worried. He hadn’t expected Liam to be </span>
  <em>
    <span>quite</span>
  </em>
  <span> this upset. He wondered vaguely if Jade had their wills handy. Maybe he had time to change a few things.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sighed to himself internally. He and Harry must have had the shortest fake relationship in the history of fake relationships. It had been pretty great while it lasted. Kissing Harry, even as a farce, had been </span>
  <em>
    <span>incredible</span>
  </em>
  <span>. But they’d barely made it twelve hours before they came clean. So no rom-com, chick flick ending for them. Louis was a little disappointed but Liam had to take his priority at the moment. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>What else was Louis supposed to do when his friend came back from the train station equally heartbroken and livid telling them Zayn had flown the coop to New York and wasn’t doing the show with them? Between the hurt on Liam’s face and the look of betrayal on Harry’s, Louis was glad they had the day off to talk everything out. He didn’t want Liam thinking Louis was hiding anything. Not when Liam was this upset.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And the look on Harry’s face added itself to the list of things Louis never wanted to see again. Louis hadn’t even had to pretend when he’d reached out for Harry’s hand or hugged him in comfort as Liam had raged about his hotel room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But of course, knowing they had to tell Liam about him and Harry also meant he had to stop being Harry’s fake boyfriend. Which really sucked. But he made a mental note to talk to Harry about that after the show. Maybe they didn’t have to pretend. Maybe being in a relationship wasn’t as scary as Louis thought. Not if it could be as easy as pretending with Harry had felt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Either way, that was for later. For now, Louis had a very upset Liam to tend to. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The three of them were currently standing in Liam’s room as he packed his bag. He was tossing things into the bag haphazardly and the sight was so dissonant from how Liam usually packed that Louis had to shake his head to reorient himself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why couldn’t you just stop meddling in my life?” Liam asked. “Was it that hard? You’re so impulsive Lou, you never think anything through!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey!” Louis rejected that on principle. “It wasn’t meant badly.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And you, Harry, “ Liam continued as if Louis hadn’t said anything. “Honestly, Zayn made it sound like you were more level headed but meddling in the life of someone you hardly know?” Louis knew Liam was just upset, but the words still stung. Louis tried not to let it bother him… Liam was upset at the general state of things, not Louis directly. This was crazier than anything else Louis had pulled on him before. In any other instance, Liam would just roll his eyes. And possibly give Louis a lecture about “making it real” instead of fake.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>To which, if he and Liam were having that conversation, he’d admit to working on. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As it was, Louis shrugged, a little defensive now, pulling Liam’s attention away from Harry and back to him. “We didn’t mean anything by it. We thought it could just... help things along,” he said. Maybe they’d gotten carried away, but they hadn’t really done anything aside from getting Liam and Zayn in the same room. Whatever was going on between Liam and Zayn was their thing, not Louis’s, and not Harry’s.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We wanted to help Zayn, “ Harry added, looking chastised but sure. “I wanted him to know it was okay to pursue something with you. I didn’t think he’d just up and leave. He didn’t even tell me why.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Liam looked between them incredulously. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And you couldn’t just </span>
  <em>
    <span>talk</span>
  </em>
  <span> to him?” Liam zipped up his bag with enough energy that Louis wondered if Liam would use it as a punching bag on the train. “Maybe he wouldn’t have left if someone had just tried to talk to him.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Louis sensed more regret in Liam’s tone than what was likely intended. Louis had seen Liam try and talk to Zayn at the party. Liam had tried at the train station. It sounded like Zayn just didn’t want to talk at all. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry looked bashful. “He left me a letter, but all it said was he wasn’t going to participate in the show ‘cause he wanted to get away from people like Cowell. I don’t even know what he meant by that. He hasn’t responded to my texts.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Liam sighed and swung his bag over his shoulder, pouting a bit. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll see if I can find him after I do the plug on Nick’s daily show,” Liam said. “Sort this whole thing out and get Zayn back before I catch the train to come back tonight.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, Liam,” Louis said. He knew when to own up to his shit, and even if he hadn’t meant to hurt Liam, he had. The rest was semantics.“I’m sorry for the blind dates and setups and everything. I just wanted you to be happy, you know? I know I have a selfish motive in there too but you really did look happy with Zayn.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Liam sighed and stepped forward to give Louis a hug. Louis gripped him tight. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know, Lou.” Liam stepped back. “You can make it up to me by making sure Niall doesn’t watch Nick’s show. Shawn said it’s his favorite and we want the firefighters coming to town to be a surprise.” Liam cracked a sort-of-smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How do you expect us to do that?” Harry asked, his eyes wide. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Liam smirked. “Break an arm or something. You’ll figure it out. Between your meddling and Louis’s impulsiveness, you’ll have the whole inn under your thumb.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Louis let out a chuckle. Liam was still tense, he could tell. But he was forgiven. Thank goodness. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Liam gave them one last nod. “I’ll be back late tonight. Don’t wait up.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Louis and Harry bid him goodbye as he walked out of the room. Harry and Louis followed Liam down the stairs, heard the front door shut behind him, and settled onto the sofa by the Christmas tree. They sat close, probably closer than they needed to, but Louis couldn’t find it in himself to care. For once, he didn’t want to worry about how letting in another person scared him. He didn’t want to think about all those other guys who only saw Louis-producer-man. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry just saw Louis. As Louis. Nothing else. All Louis wanted to do was lean into Harry.   </span>
</p><p>
  <span>So he did.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’ll be alright, yeah?” Harry asked, looking concerned and uncertain, but wrapping an arm around Louis’s shoulders. Louis reached out to grab Harry's hand and gave it a squeeze. Could a habit be formed in less than a day? He’d held Harry’s hand throughout the entire party and somehow couldn’t stop now. Besides, Harry squeezed back.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘He’ll be alright,” Louis confirmed. “I guess I don’t blame him for being upset. I did push him.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Out of love,” Harry said, grinning understandingly at Louis. It made Louis’s heart flutter.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aren’t you glad you weren’t actually dating me?” Louis said, knowingly walking himself off a cliff. Their current physical position would argue otherwise but Louis was always a glutton for punishment when it came to his love life. “You’d be pushed into all sorts of things with love. Who knows what we’d end up doing together.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry was silent for a moment. Louis internally panicked for half a second before Harry spoke, stopping and restarting Louis’s life in the span of a breath. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Doesn’t sound so bad, actually,” Harry said, turning to meet Louis’s eyes. “Zayn’s always said I do better with someone giving me a bit of a push to do the things I love. Maybe we’d actually make a good team.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Louis swallowed. Was Harry saying what he thought he was saying? How was that even possible? Harry looked down at their intertwined hands, the way their hands fit together. Louis hadn’t noticed Harry’s wrist tattoos but now that he looked, he saw their tattoos sort of matched up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked up at Harry, searching his eyes. Harry was waiting for Louis to respond, his green eyes gazing at Louis with honesty and openness. Louis felt his heart clench. He could do this. He could respond like an adult. He could be honest with Harry. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Louis </span>
  <em>
    <span>wanted</span>
  </em>
  <span> Harry, he realized. All of him. Harry was giving him the chance. Damn it if Louis was going to let that run away from him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’d opened his mouth to respond when Shawn strode up to them, sitting on the chair across from them, pulled Harry and Louis’s gazes away from each other. Louis felt his heart tug him back to Harry’s face. Harry gave him an uncertain grin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Liam just texted me,” Shawn said without preamble. He looked worried and a bit oblivious to Harry and Louis’s current conversation. “How do we stop Niall from getting on the internet all day?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Louis gave Harry’s hand a squeeze. They would come back to that conversation. That conversation about him and Harry making a great team. For now, they would help Shawn figure out how to best distract Niall, but later, maybe tomorrow morning before the show… </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Louis kept glancing over at Harry as he and Shawn threw ideas back and forth. Harry’s eyes were lit up, and he would glance back at Louis every so often, a small, fond grin on his face. They kept holding hands, their tattoos a mirror, Harry’s solid warmth in Louis’s own hand. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Louis tried to make it clear, without saying anything, that he wanted to try. With Harry. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They finished their conversation with Shawn, and the two set designers pulled Harry away, the two of them finally releasing their hands. Harry gave Louis one last fond gaze, and Louis couldn’t help responding in kind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He watched Harry walk away and Louis felt his heart clench, a realization settling onto his heart like a blanket of snow. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh.</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He’d been scared of relationships all his life. The idea of opening up to someone was boot-shaking and while he loved the romance and watching his friends and family fall in love, he’d never thought that was something he would ever encounter or have. He’d never met the right person. His heart had never been in any romantic relationships fully.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Louis looked at Harry walking away from him and occasionally glancing back, and realized in a breath an incontrovertible truth. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>All along, his heart had been waiting for Harry.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Can you believe it's five days till Christmas??? How are you faring? Are you done with Christmas shopping? Have you decorated? Tell me in the comments!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0021"><h2>21. Chapter 21</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Guys... I just can't handle Shiall sometimes. They're just... so sweet.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Why are you acting so twitchy today?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn jumped a little at Niall’s voice coming down the stairs behind him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not acting twitchy,” he said, ignoring the look Niall was leveling him with as he pretended to examine their reservations for March with studious intensity. Which frankly, was unnecessary because only half the month was full so far. They had reservations coming in already, just from Liam and Louis and their crew posting Instagram stories about the inn every day. Shawn got a little weak in the knees every time he thought of the live YouTube show and the business it would bring in. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn felt Niall’s arms wrap around him, his chest pressing against Shawn’s back. He hated hiding things from Niall. But he really wanted Liam and Louis’s surprise to actually be a </span>
  <em>
    <span>surprise</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He hadn’t seen Niall quite this fulfilled in ages and Shawn knew Liam and Louis had Niall’s happiness at heart. It would be the perfect Christmas present. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Niall, as much as Shawn loved him, was a tricky bastard sometimes. He’d already hidden away Niall’s phone as a precaution. The rest of the day would be tricky. Shawn had to pull out all the stops on everything he knew about Niall.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’d spent part of the morning plotting with Harry and Louis and the three of them had thrown out idea after idea, each more ridiculous than the last. Louis had pitched the idea of an all crew and cast dance party to distract Niall. Harry had offered up a day of silence which was immediately shot down by Louis and Shawn both. Louis offered to break their wi-fi router and buy them a new one, but Shawn sorely hoped it didn’t come to that. All they had to do was get Niall through the night, and the next day’s business would take care of keeping Niall distracted long enough for the show to start without any spoilers. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He figured Niall would catch on at some point, but Shawn figured it would only be for a few hours. The look on Niall’s face would be worth his potential frustration, Shawn was sure. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And he really didn’t want Louis to break the wi-fi router. Not that he’d complain about getting a new one, but still. It would really add insult to injury if they didn’t have wi-fi for tomorrow. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wasn’t expecting the crew to be so quiet today,” Niall said. Shawn could feel Niall moving his head around, looking at the mostly empty lobby and restaurant. Liam and Louis had given everyone a day off to explore the area around the inn, walk by the lake, get a nap in or, under Harry’s influence, try out more meditation. The only thing Shawn needed to worry about today was making sure Niall didn’t watch Nick Grimshaw’s daily YouTube show. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Liam left this morning, yeah?” Niall didn’t know why Liam had left for New York so quickly, but Shawn wasn’t about to tell him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn nodded. “Zayn too, although they didn’t leave together. I’m not sure what’s going on there, but we just need to make sure it’s a calm day for the rest of the crew. Harry and Louis were babbling about making the day a technology-free day. No phones, no internet.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn felt Niall chuckle. “Louis never did do anything by halves.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn smirked. “He’s not doing Harry by any halves it seems.” The feeling of Niall against his back soothed Shawn’s worried threads of thought. He would do anything for that man. He really really would. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m glad he found someone,” Niall said.”Having Louis and Liam out here really makes me miss the whole team. We went through some stuff together.“ </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe we could invite them out to the inn this summer?” Shawn said, attempting to pull Niall’s attention away from the current season. “We could lead some hikes and host a bonfire out back. Without any use for your old skills.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Niall hummed, nuzzling his forehead between Shawn’s shoulders, sending a shiver down Shawn’s spine. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I like the sound of that,” Niall said. He gave Shawn another squeeze, before releasing him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where are you off to?” Shawn asked, turning to meet Niall’s eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m going to check on the horses. Poppy could probably use a bit of exercise,” Niall said. “Want to come with me? I think Sergeant could be up for getting out of the barn. We could ride around the lake for a bit.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn smiled. Niall knew he couldn't turn down a trail ride on his favorite horse with his favorite person. Besides, it was a good way to get Niall out of the inn for a while and maybe help him </span>
  <em>
    <span>just happen to</span>
  </em>
  <span> forget about Nick’s show that afternoon. They weren’t really needed for anything important at the inn anyway.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They spent three hours riding out on the inn’s property, checking out the lake, having a picnic lunch, and dreaming a bit of the things they could do to the inn with a steady stream of income. They threw out ideas of adding a library, a pool for summer, maybe hiring a riding instructor for people who wanted a riding lesson before they did a trail ride. Shawn was thoroughly happy by the time they returned to the inn, and Niall showed no signs of wondering where his phone was or even wanting to get online for any reason. He looked content and calm, and they shared a grin as they put the horses away in the stables. They walked back to the inn, Niall trailing his hands up and down Shawn’s sides in a particularly appealing manner. Things really were looking up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They tromped through the kitchen and restaurant into the lobby, intending to go right up to their apartment, only to find a very guilty looking Louis, a shocked Harry, and… </span>
</p><p>
  <span>...their wi-fi router, in a hundred pieces on the floor of their lobby. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn looked between Harry and Louis, who both looked stricken and knew immediately that they hadn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>actually</span>
  </em>
  <span> planned on breaking the wi-fi router. He couldn’t help the laughter bubbling up inside him. He vaguely saw Harry and Louis exchange a glance at how much he was laughing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Niall looked at him like he was crazy. “Shawnie, have you lost a nut or something?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn shook his head, his chest filling up. “No, Ni, it’s just… I’ll explain later,” he breathed out, attempting to get his laughter under control. And to think he’d been hoping to get laid this afternoon.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Guess you owe us a new router, Lou,” Shawn wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Louis turned red. “I… I really didn’t mean to break it, Shawn, the wi-fi wasn’t working and one of our light designers was complaining about Bluetooth and I came down to reset it ‘cause we couldn’t find either of you, and…” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn shook his head. “Don’t worry about it.” Louis stopped his rambling but still looked fairly guilty. Harry was rubbing his back comfortingly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Niall chuckled, also seemingly resigned to pausing his and Shawn’s potential afternoon activities. “Well, since you made Shawn laugh, why don’t you and I go into town and get a new one, Lou?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Louis nodded, looking bashful but resolved. He, Harry, and Shawn exchanged a knowing glance that almost had Shawn laughing again. He held it together though, and gave Niall a kiss as he and Louis headed out the front door and to Niall’s car. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry was shaking his head in wonder and looked at Shawn with amazement. “Did that feel too easy to you?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn just shrugged goodnaturedly. “I’m not even surprised somehow. What happened exactly?" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry bit his lip. “Louis got frustrated and shook the router. It fell out of his hands, bounced off the counter, and crashed to the floor.” He started picking up bigger chunks of the router. ”I thought they made them sturdier than this.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I did too, although to be honest, we haven’t updated the router since Niall and I took over.” Shawn knelt down to help Harry, pulling over the small broom he kept under the counter, brushing up the smaller pieces. “We’ve never had complaints about the wi-fi, so we figured we’d wait to replace it.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Guess that’s a benefit of having a super-rich producer friend break it for you.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn chuckled. “Guess so.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a few moments of silently cleaning the router, and throwing it all away in the trash, Harry went to the computer at the lobby desk. “Want to watch Nick’s show? See what Liam has to say now that Niall is firmly out of the house.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn grinned. “Yeah, definitely. Niall doesn’t have his phone either, so he can’t watch it on data.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He hasn’t mentioned missing his phone?” Harry looked incredulous. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn chuckled. “He hasn’t, which means he knows something is up and is being good-natured about it. I’ll get an earful once he finds out the surprise.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You two know each other so well, it’s kinda freaky.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn just grinned. “Don’t worry, it looks like you and Lou are headed in that direction too. It’s a rite of passage.” He liked knowing Niall that well. There was something special about knowing another person like the back of your own hand. A comfort to be sure, even when things were as tough as they’d been. It was a knowing he wished everyone could experience.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry grinned, small, but firmly happy. “I hope so.” He clicked to YouTube, pulling up the live stream of Nick’s show. He was just welcoming Liam to the screen. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“...joining me live tonight is one half of everyone’s favorite producer duo, Liam Payne!” Nick started clapping, cueing canned applause in the background as Liam joined him on the screen wearing a royal blue suit. He waved, mouthing “Hi mom!”, and grinning. Shawn and Harry shared a chuckle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now, Liam,” Nick said, turning to face Liam, “You’ve finally joined me here today. It’s taken me years to get you here. But you have something to tell us today, right?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re right, Nick,” Liam said. “Not that I don’t love your show, but today, I’m sharing a new project Louis Tomlinson and I have been working on.” He paused here, rubbing his hands together in excitement. “Louis and I are sharing a live show on YouTube on Christmas Day called </span>
  <em>
    <span>Home With You</span>
  </em>
  <span>. It’ll be like the old variety shows with music, dancing, stories, with a modern twist.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The whole nine yards?” Nick asked with a teasing grin. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The only thing we don’t have is the Rockettes,” Liam answered with a wink. There was canned laughter in the background.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And where are you filming this show?” Nick asked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A perfectly quaint, ideal inn in Pine Tree Vermont,” Liam said. “It’s the perfect place and we have a forecast of snow on Christmas Day. The inn is owned by an old friend of Louis’s and mine from our college days.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let’s hope he’s not watching this cause I hear you have a surprise for him,” Nick said. His leading questions sounded practically scripted to Shawn’s ears. He supposed it didn’t matter too much as long as Liam got his message out. And the more people who watched the show meant more reservations for him and Niall. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Liam nodded and the camera zoomed in on his face for a closeup. Liam looked serious, heartfelt, and well-intentioned. Something akin to what Shawn had heard Louis describe as “Liam’s puppy-dog look”. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Back in college, Louis and I worked as volunteer firefighters. We befriended Niall, the owner of the Columbia Inn. It’s been years since we’ve had the old team in one place, and Louis and I wanted to surprise Niall this Christmas by bringing the whole gang back together. If it wasn’t for Niall, Louis and I wouldn’t be doing what we’re doing.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Liam rubbed his hands together, looking resolved. “After all, that’s what we do: we tell </span>
  <span>stories that help people, that bind us together. This Christmas we want to remind everyone of all of the things that bind us together. We want to remember that we’re more alike than we are different. Niall has graciously provided us the use of his inn, and we want to repay him for his kindness by reminding him of an incredibly influential time in our lives.” Liam paused, looking as if he wanted to say more, but thought better of it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So if you volunteered with us in Oregon in the Summer of 2011, give me or Louis a ring. We’d love to really make this Christmas special for Niall, and a reunion at his inn is the best we can think of.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That sounds like a perfectly festive idea,” Nick said. The camera zoomed in on Nick’s face now. “And don’t forget to check out Liam and Louis’s new Christmas special, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Home With You</span>
  </em>
  <span>, available on Christmas day. Links will be below.” He gave Liam a smile. “Thanks for coming on the show, Liam.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nick’s show continued on to other things, and Liam’s segment passed quicker than Shawn expected. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He took the train to New York just for that small spot on a show?” Shawn asked incredulously. The world of show business would always remain a mystery to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry shrugged. “And to get Zayn back.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Think he’ll find him?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I hope so,” Harry said. “I’m more worried about whether or not Zayn will listen to him. He can be more stubborn than a donkey some days. Who knows?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>That wasn’t super hopeful, but Shawn couldn’t help but feel excited. It was going to be a good few days. Maybe it was the forecast of snow that evening, maybe it was the influx of reservations, maybe it was Christmas magic. Whatever it was, Shawn felt like things were looking up. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Is everyone feeling a bit better about our Zayn/Liam situation now? I hope so!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0022"><h2>22. Chapter 22</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>All is well friends, all is well. :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>There was snow in New York. The air in Grand Central was cold, even with the massive amounts of people bustling about the station. It was Christmas Eve after all. Zayn stood in the terminal, waiting for his boarding group to get called for his train north. He rubbed his gloved hands together, missing the coziness of the inn amidst the bustling chaos of the station. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>If he was being honest with himself, he missed Liam. Three days and that man had made his way into Zayn’s heart like a knight on horseback: swift, sure, and kind and Zayn had been too blind, too careless, too unsure of himself, and too afraid to see Liam for what he was. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A truly kind man who actually liked Zayn. A lot. Who wanted to create and tell stories. Who wanted a partner who wasn’t Louis or his work. Who had told Zayn to his face that he hadn’t felt the way he felt about Zayn in a long time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>God, Zayn felt like an idiot. He’d managed to catch Nick Grimshaw’s Daily Show before his set at a swanky restaurant, unsure if he really wanted to see Liam again, even on screen. He’d pulled up Youtube with buckets of trepidation. His heart had clenched when Nick said Liam’s name. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zayn waited for the inevitable joke at Niall’s expense, the disgusting explanation of singling out someone down on his luck. He waited for his suspicions and fears to be confirmed, for his anxiety to be proven right again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But it never came. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Instead, Liam talked about beloved friends who had his back during a frightening experience. He talked about a reunion, about stories that bound people together. He’d plugged the Inn, mentioned </span>
  <em>
    <span>Home With You,</span>
  </em>
  <span> and its variety show roots, all while being his usual, kind self. Zayn watched and felt like an idiot and a fool. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zayn had performed his show that night, hoping at the back of his heart that he’d see Liam walk through the door of the restaurant, looking to bring Zayn back or at least looking to talk. By the end of his set, there was no Liam, but Zayn had resolved himself of one thing. He wasn’t a damsel in distress or a gothic-horror heroine. He was the master of his own life and he wanted to see Liam again. He wasn’t going to let his worries hold him back. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry had sent him text after text since he’d left the inn. Zayn had mostly ignored them, but he’d read them in the Lyft on his way to his hotel. Harry wrote a novel’s length lecture, telling Zayn to get his head out of his ass and to stop suffocating good things before they could take off. To stop using Harry as a crutch and an excuse. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>If he had read the texts earlier, Zayn would have been offended. As he walked to his room at a sterile hotel that felt nothing like the inn, he felt convicted and activated. He knew what he had to do</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He needed to go back to Vermont and clean up the mess he’d made. He’d been wrong and he owed Liam an apology. He only hoped Liam would be willing to forgive him. He was tired of being afraid to live his own life. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zayn had text Harry as he went to bed, only saying that he was coming back the next day. Harry had responded with ten emojis. Zayn knew he was in for an in-person lecture once everything calmed down but he figured he could withstand anything, as long as he could talk to Liam first. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was something there between them, something Zayn hadn’t felt in a long time. He’d be a fool to walk away from it without at least trying to save it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>So Zayn was up before the sun and at the train station before even having his coffee. He now stood, rubbing his gloved hands along his arms, wondering vaguely if he had time for a coffee before the train left. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a whistle and his boarding group was called, thus deciding for him that he’d be getting coffee once he boarded the train. Zayn picked up his suitcase and followed the crowd, passing off his ticket to the conductor and taking his seat by the window. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The view out the window brought back the memory of Liam just the morning prior, running to keep up with the train that had carried Zayn away from him. Zayn blinked quickly, shaking his head. He never wanted to make Liam look so forlorn ever again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zayn let his mind wander as he watched the snowflakes fall and the sunrise past the New York skyline as the train chugged its way north. It wasn’t far to Pine Tree and the snow nearly followed him the whole way there. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eventually, the train left the snow behind, and Zayn felt his nerves begin to swing about his belly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Past the nerves, past his clammy hands, past the way his stomach had migrated up to his throat, Zayn knew this was the right decision. Either he’d apologize and Liam would never want to talk to him again, or they could keep going forward together. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zayn hadn’t had a romantic partner like that before. Someone to walk side by side with. But he could picture it with Liam. He could trust Liam if only he could trust himself first. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The train pulled into the station and Zayn climbed off the train. He spotted Shawn by the entrance and waved, making his way to the car. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good to see you so soon,” Shawn said with a knowing grin. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Harry let you know?” Zayn asked, putting his suitcase in the open trunk and closing it with satisfying finality. They climbed into the car and Shawn started the car. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He did,” Shawn said. “I prefer picking you up at the station to dropping you off.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Does Liam know?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn shook his head. “We didn’t tell him, like you asked. He’s been… well, he didn’t come down for breakfast, but I saw him leaving out the backdoor when I left a few minutes to come to pick you up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zayn took a deep breath as Shawn pulled into the Inn’s parking lot. He climbed out of the car, glancing around. No one was running out of the inn to see him, but he could hear the tell-tale signs of a big production setting up for the day inside. He grinned at the image of Louis and Harry managing everything hand in hand. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll take your suitcase up to your room,” Shawn said, locking the car doors. “I’ll get you the key later.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zayn nodded in thanks, walking around the building. The rose garden was still dead, but Zayn continued on towards the lake. Everything was still, except for a heron diving to catch his breakfast, causing ripples to spread across the lake. The sky was cloudy and overcast, and it was so cold he could see his breath. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He took his time, walking slowly, taking deep breaths all the way. He knew what he wanted to say. He wanted to make sure he didn’t fuck up the whole thing. He just hoped at the end of this, he hadn’t lost Liam in the process.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zayn turned the bend of the lake and the bench… no, </span>
  <em>
    <span>their</span>
  </em>
  <span> bench, his and Liam’s bench, came into view.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Liam was sitting slouched over with his head in his hands. Zayn paused for a moment, taking in the line of Liam’s shoulders, the sag of his back. He took one more deep breath, then purposefully walked towards Liam, his nerves battling it out in his stomach. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Liam started in surprise, his head whipping up from his hands as he heard Zayn’s footsteps on the gravel. His eyes widened when he saw Zayn and he stood, taking a step back, looking surprised, affronted, and brokenhearted. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked like he’d been crying. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zayn paused, swallowing, holding up his hands like he was calming a frightened animal. He tried to smile encouragingly, peacefully. Liam’s shoulders sagged.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Zayn.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Liam’s voice cracked, his eyes were red, and he hastily wiped his nose. Zayn’s heart broke a bit and the speech he’d thought through flew from his mind. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hi Liam,” Zayn said softly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I…” Liam’s voice cracked again and he rubbed his eyes, sniffling. “I thought you’d left…” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zayn nodded. “I came back. I saw your piece on Nick’s show.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I tried to find you…” Liam said. He was frozen now, watching Zayn move closer to him step by step. “I wanted to explain.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zayn shook his head, his footsteps slow but sure. “You didn’t need to explain anything, Li,” Zayn said. Liam was looking at him like Zayn wasn’t even real. Zayn finally came to stop just in front of him, the two of them standing a foot apart. He couldn’t tell if Liam was breathing or not.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, Liam,” Zayn said, looking him directly in the eye. “I fucked up. I… don’t even have a good excuse. I misheard a rumor that made it sound like you wanted to make a spectacle of Niall.” Liam made a noise of dissent, and Zayn nodded but continued. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It made me upset. I thought I’d read you wrong. I felt like a fool for feeling what I feel for you. I felt like I’d been played. I thought you were just another guy I’d misread, some asshole who’d end up breaking my heart. So I ran.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Liam didn’t take his eyes off Zayn. Zayn reached out, gently taking one of Liam’s gloved hands in his own. Liam didn’t resist, just looked down at their hands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I felt like even more of a fool when I heard you on Nick’s show,” Zayn continued, relishing the feel of Liam’s hand in his. “I was wrong and I hurt you and I’m sorry. I should have talked to you. I should have let you explain yourself before I ran off like a drama queen.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why didn’t you?” Liam whispered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because I’m an idiot,” Zayn said with a wry chuckle. “Cause I was afraid. I’ve never felt for someone the way I feel about you, Liam. I wanted to come back the minute the train started leaving the station yesterday. Whatever we were starting to have… I didn’t want to leave.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Liam huffed out a breath, still looking at his hand held in Zayn’s. Zayn’s heart about stopped when Liam wrapped his other hand around Zayn’s, their four hands intertwined. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What about now?” Liam asked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zayn smiled softly. “I want to sing with you today.” Liam looked back up at him searchingly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I want to talk about Marvel and music and art with you. I want to talk about the weather with you,” Zayn said and they both huffed out a chuckle. “I want you to show me Seattle’s beautiful summers and I want to show you Boston in the fall and teach your damp Seattle heart to love the Boston winter.” He squeezed Liam’s hands. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I want to kiss you again and see where this thing between us is going,” Zayn said, pulling on his last ounces of bravery. “I want to know what we could be. And I don’t want to be afraid of maybe learning to love you. Cause I really think I could.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Liam smiled softly, gazing at Zayn. “I think I could love you, Zayn,” he whispered. “Please don’t write me off.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zayn closed the distance between them, resting their foreheads together. Their cold noses bumped, their hands still intertwined. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’d rather pen you in,” Zayn said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Liam smiled fully now, his cheeks pink from the cold and his eyelids red from crying earlier, but his eyes glimmered with joy. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You are a good lyricist,” Liam said. The two chuckled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re a good person, Liam,” Zayn said, pulling back to look at Liam fully. “I’m sorry I doubted you.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m just glad you came back.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zayn hummed, his eyes searching Liam’s. Liam leaned in halfway, just like he had a few days earlier, letting Zayn meet him in the middle. Liam paused, a breath suspended between them, then Zayn closed the distance, pressing their lips together. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was like coming home, kissing Liam now. It wasn’t sexy or sensual or fire-stoking. But the kiss set a flame in Zayn’s heart and he wondered why he’d ever stopped himself from this before. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The answer was clear when they broke apart, meeting each other’s eyes. No one else had made Zayn feel what he felt for Liam. No one else inspired him, made him laugh, or comforted him like Liam. A snowflake landed on Liam’s cheek and they both looked up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It had begun to snow. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They both broke into wide grins, diving back into another kiss, wrapping their arms around one another, holding tight, sure and true at last. They lost themselves for several minutes, enjoying each other’s warmth. Zayn felt happier than he had in a long time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The lake remained calm, growing quiet as the snow fell in soft flakes around them, cocooning them in their own private wonderland. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>SQUEE!!!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0023"><h2>23. Chapter 23</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I hope yesterday’s Ziam chapter brought some joy to your heart. It’s one of my favorite scenes I’ve ever written. </p><p>And here's the super sweet Larry scene we've all been waiting for. :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Louis could hear the hustle and bustle of the cast and crew getting everything set up for the live show that afternoon. The sound traveled up the stairs to where he was sitting on his bed, breathing deeply through his nose.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Liam had stepped outside to take a breather, and Zayn was coming back any minute now. Hopefully, Liam and Zayn could work out whatever was going on with them and the show could get back on the road. All that remained was for Louis to tell Harry how he really felt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’d really meant to tell Harry all that the night before. But then he’d broken the router and he and Niall had gone to town to get a new one, only to find that the tiny town of Pine Tree didn’t have a Radio Shack, so he and Niall ended up driving an hour away to a larger town to find the right router. By the time they’d come home, he and Niall had to have a late dinner ‘cause the kitchen staff had all been sent home. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It took all four of them to figure out how to hook up and connect the new router (why were these things never as easy as the instructions in the box said?). Niall had caused unnecessary panic by suggesting they watch Nick’s show to check out the new wi-fi but Shawn had saved the day by sending Niall to get Liam from the train station. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>By the time Liam was back and the router was set up and everyone had eaten, it was almost one in the morning and the five of them wearily padded off to bed. Louis was asleep before his head hit the pillow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Louis’s half-asleep brain had briefly entertained the idea of just pulling Harry into his room so they could sleep side-by-side and clear up any uncertainty, but his conscious (which weirdly always sounded like Liam) told him that probably wouldn’t be a good idea and to readdress his feelings with Harry in the morning. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And now Louis was all ready for the day. He’d popped down to the lobby for a cup of tea, dressed in his favorite comfy t-shirt until he had to put his suit on, and he was sitting on the edge of his bed feeling more nervous than he had before his acceptance speech at the Emmys. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>How were you supposed to just </span>
  <em>
    <span>tell</span>
  </em>
  <span> someone how much they meant to you? Especially when you’d only known them for a few days? Weren’t there rules or expectations about this sort of thing? The crazy stuff only happened in chick flicks, right?  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Again, weirdly, Louis heard Liam’s voice in his head, telling him to buck up, stop worrying, and just go tell Harry his feelings already. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, yeah,” Louis muttered to himself. He stood, rubbed his hands together to brush up some energy, and left his room. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry was standing at the window at the end of the hall. He turned, saw Louis, grinned and gestured at him wildly. Louis’s heart pounded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lou, look,” Harry said. Louis came to stand next to Harry at the window, following where Harry pointed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zayn was walking towards the lake with a purposeful stride, veering towards the same direction Louis had seen Liam take not long before. That had to be a good sign.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s back,” Louis said, feeling relief sag through his shoulders. “I hope he and Liam sort everything out.” He was vaguely aware of Shawn coming up the stairs and dropping off Zayn’s suitcase in his room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Me too,” Harry said. Louis glanced sideways at Harry, only to find Harry already looking at him. Harry took a breath. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are </span>
  <em>
    <span>we</span>
  </em>
  <span> going to sort everything out?” Harry asked, looking searchingly at Louis. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Louis swallowed, praying for ten seconds of courage, then turned to face Harry fully and took Harry’s hands in his. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I want to,” Louis said. “I want there to be an us. I think you’re right that we’d make a really good team.” He licked his lips. “I’m not… good at this relationship thing. I haven’t really had any, but I… I know what I want. And I want you Harry, if you’ll have me. I’ve never wanted to try with someone as much as I want to try with you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry was watching him with an intense, thorough stare. In a way, it was like Harry could see to his soul. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Louis continued, looking down at their hands. “I don’t really know what happens after this whole sharing our feelings thing, but I want to be with you. I think I’ve been waiting for you for a long time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He let out a sigh, relieved he got all the words out, the realization that Harry was squeezing his hands only just coming to him. He squeezed back, grateful that his courage lasted as long as he needed it to and that now he could just face whatever Harry’s reaction would be. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry grinned, looking relieved. “Thank god.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah?” Louis asked, his nerves fading at the smile on Harry’s face. Maybe these things weren’t as complicated as everyone made them out to be. Maybe it just took a bit of courage to fall into what was right in front of you. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Harry said, cupping Louis’s face in his hands. “I like you Louis, a lot. What happens next is completely up to us. I’d like it to include dates though.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s a good place to start, I’d imagine,” Louis said with a careless shrug, his hands coming to rest at Harry’s waist. “As long as I have you it’s all good with me.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry chuckled. “Well, I’ve wanted to kiss you since yesterday.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Louis raised his eyebrows, smirking flirtatiously at Harry. “That definitely seems like a good place to start.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Louis took a step closer and Harry pulled their faces together, their lips landing true. Louis wrapped his arms around Harry, pulling him close, reveling in the softness of Harry’s lips, the tenderness of the way Harry held his face. Harry licked at Louis’s lips, Louis welcoming Harry’s tongue into him, everything else fading away except for the feel of Harry on his lips, in his arms, against his chest. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn’t know how long they stood there, completely wrapped up in one another, but eventually, his heart slowed, and he pulled back from Harry, resting their foreheads together. He giggled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know,” Louis said, “you are far superior to my cocker spaniel.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry laughed out loud and pulled Louis back for a smiley kiss. Louis’s heart swelled. He pulled back after a moment. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I really want to kiss you all day long,” Louis said, “but… we do have a show to do.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry kissed him on the nose, humming. “How about tomorrow then?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Louis looked up at Harry’s eyes sparkling with mirth and grinned. “It’s a date. What a Christmas!” He kissed Harry again, traveling with his lips down Harry’s chin and up to his ear, breathing him in. He nuzzled into Harry’s neck, pulling away reluctantly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They took a step back, catching their breath, their hands still resting on one another. They locked eyes and giggled again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t want to stop touching you,” Harry said, echoing Louis’s thoughts exactly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Louis tangled their fingers together, tugging them down the hall hand in hand. “Who says we have to?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, we do have to perform live in a few hours,” Harry pointed out while still holding onto Louis. It felt nice, walking down the hall, hand in hand with someone he really cared about. He wanted this to be normal.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Louis hummed. “Fair point, but otherwise, I’m holding your hand.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry pulled Louis’s fingers up to his lips, kissing them as they walked down the stairs. It was the most graceful he’d ever seen Harry, and Louis felt lucky to have experienced it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Louis stopped them both in the lobby, pointing out the window. Soft snowflakes had begun to fall, dusting the ground in a blanket of white. Louis and Harry shared a grin. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Snow,” Harry said, his voice tinged with wonder. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Looks like we’ll have a white Christmas after all,” Louis said. They stood there together for a suspended moment, watching the snowfall outside for several minutes before reluctantly continuing on their way.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They were walking into the restaurant to look over the stage when Liam and Zayn came in through the back door. They were red and flushed from the cold, and both grinning ear to ear. Once they were both through the door, Zayn slung an arm around Liam’s shoulders, hugging him close. Liam caught Louis’s eye and nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Louis let out a whoop, and tugged Harry across the room, past the curious looks on the faces of their crew, and pulled the four of them into a group hug. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a bit of confusion of whose hands belonged to whom, but they all extracted themselves from the hug with minimal awkwardness. Louis looked at the three men around him, finally locking eyes with Liam. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“All good?” He asked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Liam shrugged. “You might have more than an hour a day on your hands, Lou.” He grasped Zayn’s hand and glanced at Harry knowingly. “Hope you know what to do with the extra time.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Louis burst out laughing, clutching his stomach, leaning into Harry, and shaking with glee. Harry wrapped his arms around Louis, kissing the top of his head. Liam just rolled his eyes goodnaturedly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Li, I think you broke him,” Zayn said, leaning into Liam’s side. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Serves him right,” Liam said with the resignation and affection only a best friend can have. Louis caught his breath, his laughter finally calming down. He was leaning into Harry, his head resting on Harry’s shoulder. Liam was grinning, gripping Zayn’s hand tightly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When did they become such saps? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And more importantly, how could they take over Hallmark with gay romances? There was an idea for the new year. Louis bet he could really get Liam behind that idea. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Putting a pin in that idea, he lifted his head, meeting three sets of eager, excited eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let’s get this show going, yeah?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Liam and Zayn grinned, making their way up to the piano to rehearse their song and he and Harry split up. Harry helped the art directors with some final touches and Louis made sure the cameramen were wired in as they needed to be. The closer they got to the show, the more ready he felt. It was going to be a good Christmas Eve. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>See you tomorrow for our second to last chapter!!!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0024"><h2>24. Chapter 24</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>And here we are. The second to last chapter. Thank you so much for all the comments and kudos and bookmarks this month! It's been so much fun to read your thoughts and opinions on Christmassy things and I'm so glad you joined me for this little journey. :) </p><p>Tomorrow's chapter is a short and sweet epilogue, so I'll say this here now: writing fic is one of the best, most wonderful, most life-changing things I've ever done. I'm so glad to share these stories with you and to comment on other stories. This community around fic is truly special and I'm grateful every day for it. Particularly in 2020, when so much fell apart and the world as we knew it ceased to exist, fic held my hand through grief, comforted me when I felt despair, and inspired me when I felt everything was bleak. I hope you could find some peace and happiness this year, wherever the source was for you. I hope this little story of snow and love inspires you or brings you joy. Thank you for reading Ideal and any of my other stories and thank you for engaging. </p><p>I'll always write just for myself. But getting to share the stories I love with people who love them too is so special to me. Thank you for reading and writing and drawing and existing. Remember that we have the power to decide the world we want to see, simply by the lives we live. As Harry says, treat people with kindness. And kindness always wins. May we find 2021 a kinder year, with more joy, more love. May we remember that everything we need already exists within us and we can surmount any obstacles together. And I hope we all find life-changing fic that inspire us forward. </p><p>And now I'll hop to a corner and compose myself while you read this. Happy Christmas Eve!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Shawn would be the first to admit that he wouldn’t ever be able to wrap his head around the finer details of show business. The number of cameras and lighting and mic checks and set design, even for what Liam and Louis said was a “fairly simple seven-part show”, was overwhelming. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But two minutes in and Shawn could tell that </span>
  <em>
    <span>Home With You</span>
  </em>
  <span> was a good piece of entertainment. He also was a bit excited ‘cause just before joining Niall at their table, he’d help usher in several of Niall’s old firefighting buddies, hiding them in the lobby where Niall wouldn’t see them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn and Niall had spent a lazy morning in their apartment, letting most of their seasonal staff take care of things. As it was, they’d prepared with Liam and Louis so much that there really wasn’t much for Shawn, Niall, or their staff to do. They were just looking forward to dressing up and getting to sit in the audience. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn had found Niall in the barn once he’d brought Zayn back from the train station. They had been grooming Sergeant when Shawn caught sight of snowflakes outside. Shawn and Niall had finished in record time and dashed out behind the barn hand in hand. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aw, Shawnie,” Niall said, tilting his head back to feel the snow on his face. “Things really are looking up aren’t they.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn had gently pulled Niall’s face down to meet his. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes love,” Shawn had said with a soft smile. “Merry Christmas.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Niall had thrown his arms around Shawn then and kissed him senseless. They’d ended up against the side of the barn and were late for lunch. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They were both too exuberant and happy to care.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now, Shawn watched in awe as the lights dimmed and the show began. Liam and Louis really had done an amazing job. The restaurant looked better than it had in years, lit up in all manner of colorful lights, a sparkling massive Christmas tree, and the curtains on the windows had been opened wide to reveal the snow gently and steadily falling outside. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Liam and Louis burst onto stage for an opening monologue that was also a bit spoken word, singing, and even some dancing. They danced around each other, explaining the show, their creative process and how excited they were to be sharing the show on Youtube for everyone to watch in the comfort of their own homes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now before we get into the rest of the show,” Louis was saying, “we want to pull up a close friend of ours.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn squeezed Niall’s arm. Niall gaped at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Niall Horan, can you come up here?” Liam said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A spotlight shone down on Niall, and he stood, squeezing Shawn’s hand before walking up to the stage. Shawn felt his heart might burst at what was in store for him. He could tell Niall was nervous but he gamely waved at the camera and shook Liam and Louis’s hands once he got up on stage. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now, we wouldn’t be doing this show tonight without the help of this guy,” Liam said. “Niall and his partner Shawn own the beautiful Columbia Inn where we’ve hosted this entire show.” Another spotlight shone on Shawn, and he waved, grinning at the camera in his face, wiggling his eyebrows at Niall on stage just for fun. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Niall was a firefighter with us in Oregon,” Louis was saying, “and he was part of an experience that inspired </span>
  <em>
    <span>Fireproof</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” Niall stood next to them, looking bemused and curious at the same time. Shawn couldn’t help but think about how adorable he was. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Which,” Liam added, “is what started our journey to where we are today.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, Niall,” Louis said, turning to their friend with a grin. “We have a surprise for you.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We love a good reunion,” Liam continued. He lifted his hand to the door of the restaurant. “So we brought the whole team here to surprise you and say thanks.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And with that, the doors flew open, and the entire cast of firefighters from the picture in Shawn and Niall’s apartment came bursting into the restaurant, cheering and whooping. Shawn turned to look at Niall’s face.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He stood, and strode up to the stage, not caring if that was part of the plan. He ran up the stairs and came to stand by Niall, who tightly gripped Shawn’s hand. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is this real Shawnie?” Niall asked so only Shawn could hear him. Shawn squeezed Niall’s hand. Niall’s eyes were wide as he took in the full restaurant, the lights on the stage, and the excited group just off the stage from them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yep,” he said with a grin. And he tugged Niall down the stairs and to his friends, as the camera caught the hugs and hellos shared between the group. Shawn was haphazardly introduced to so many people, but the look of joy on Niall’s face was worth the chaos. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The camera zoomed in on Louis, who was smiling and rubbing his hands together like a satisfied conductor. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There’s nothing that quite represents the spirit of Christmas like being with the people important to you,” Louis said. “Enjoy the rest of the show, and don’t forget to hug a loved one. This show is all about bringing together those we love. Thanks for joining us tonight.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And he ran down the stage to join in the reunion while another act came on stage. After another round of hellos, everyone went back to their seats. They would have time for more thorough introductions and catching up after the show. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn sat down at his table, grunting when Niall shoved his chair as close to Shawn’s as he possibly could, wrapping an arm around Shawn’s shoulders and pulling him in for a kiss. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you,” he whispered in Shawn’s ear. “I love you.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shawn smiled, kissed Niall on the cheek, and leaned back. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The rest of the show went off without a hitch. There was a hilarious comedy sketch, a beautiful ballet excerpt from the Nutcracker, a series of holiday-themed skits, a few live performances by musicians Liam and Louis knew, a fun set of Christmas songs that Liam, Louis, Harry, and Zayn had put together, and of course, a massive finale. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The highlight though, in Shawn’s opinion, was Zayn and Liam’s duet. It was just the two of them on a black stage, Liam at the piano, Zayn on the guitar, singing about counting your blessings to fall asleep. It was enchantingly beautiful, and Shawn couldn’t help but grin at the chemistry the two of them had.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Liam and Louis bid the viewers a good night and made one last plug for the inn before all the cameras turned off, the normal lights came on and the kitchen staff brought out dinner. People began milling about the tables, chatting, meeting each other, catching up. The entire restaurant was a cacophony of noise and cheer and excitement but all Shawn could see was the look of incandescent happiness and peace on Niall’s face. It warmed his heart and he grabbed Niall’s hand to tug him forward into the crowd. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>💖</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0025"><h2>25. Chapter 25</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Happy happy Christmas. :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Three couples woke up on Christmas Day, one old and two new, in a quiet inn in a small Vermont town. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Snow had fallen the whole night through, and the sun rose up over the mountains to the soft quiet of new snow and a clear sky. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Christmas morning brought the six of them down to the lobby a bit earlier than any of the other guests, despite staying up far past their bedtimes catching up with old friends. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The six of them gathered around the small tree in the lobby, each with a cup of tea or coffee in hand. They discussed the future, the upcoming year, and the previous night’s show. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eventually, the inn would begin to wake up, the rest of the crew would come down to breakfast, and everyone would head home for the holidays. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The inn, which had been so quiet before four particular men had landed in its lobby, wouldn’t be as quiet as it used to be. The innkeepers would be kept busy with a steady stream of guests and with plans for a future filled with expansion and dreams to dream. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The producers would finally take a break. A Boston soul would show a Seattle heart the magic of a white Christmas and a writer would finally put pen to paper, his music composing partner by his side. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But for now, the six of them rested by the Christmas tree, watching the snow. And wishing each other a very merry Christmas indeed. </span>
</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thanks for reading this little advent fic and joining me for this journey. :) I'd love it if you would comment, kudos, and share the masterpost <a href="https://iamasphodelknox.tumblr.com/post/635240986517372928/title-ideal-an-advent-story-author-asphodelknox">here</a>! </p><p>Happy holidays!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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